On a sunny morning, deep in the forests of western Ukraine, fresh from the war, 16,000 cans of the new energy drink Volia roll off the assembly line every hour at the Morshynska beverage factory.
Hundreds of miles east, driving to the front lines, sweat coolers in small supermarkets and gas stations were filled with Volia and a host of other energy drinks: Burn, Monster, Non Stop, Hell, Pit Bull and, of course, the mind-blowing The veteran among the beverages of the eye is Red Bull.
By the time one reaches the trenches, where thousands of soldiers are digging holes and trying to survive, supremacy has been accomplished: Ukrainian soldiers will give up coffee, coke, and even water in favor of the liquid jolt needed to keep going.
“In the morning, when I wake up, I drink an energy drink. When I go out on patrol, I drink an energy drink. Before an attack, I drink an energy drink,” a Ukrainian soldier said. According to military agreement.
“Let me explain as a Scout,” Thicke continued. “When you have to walk three, four or seven kilometers. You’re also carrying 40 kilograms of gear. And you’re covered in sweat. And you haven’t eaten much in three days, and you haven’t slept much. If you don’t drink Where do these things get the energy to make the final sprint?
Ukraine is in its most difficult moment since the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion more than two years ago, with its troops reeling from persistent attacks along a 600-mile front. Exhausted frontline troops were hooked on an increasing number of highly caffeinated, savvy-marketed energy drinks, some of which were produced specifically for the war effort.
Sales surged. Energy drinks have become one of the few bright spots in the Ukrainian economy. New varieties and crazy flavors are popping up all the time—marshmallow, cactus, even marijuana—with names like “Jungle,” “Boost,” and “Stalker.”
You see cans everywhere. Tucked into an ammo vest. The bullets in the backpack jingled. On the back of the tank. The trenches were filled with crushed empty boxes and dead Russians piled beside them.
Ukrainian companies market the drinks to appeal to frontline troops and the fighting spirit they embody, labeling them with camouflage labels or patriotic mottos and names like Volia, which means – without direct translation – freedom and will.
“We want to get a piece of this action,” said Marco Tkachuk, chief executive of IDS Ukraine, owner of the Morshynska bottling plant and the Volia brand.
Morshynska is a water company headquartered about 45 miles south of the city of Lviv. The company rose to fame years ago by mining natural spring water in the Carpathian Mountains and packaging the water in 1.5-liter plastic bottles that can be found across Ukraine.
But by 2022, Mr. Tkachuk and other Ukrainian beverage executives realized something big was happening as the stress of war intertwined with the global energy drink craze.
The Russian invasion has upended every aspect of Ukrainian life, fueling the need for a quick caffeine fix that doesn’t require a café, boiling water, coffee cups or tea bags. It’s not just soldiers who crave it.
“Due to ongoing missile attacks, anxiety and lack of sleep, civilians have increased energy needs,” said Taras Matsypura, Vice President of Carlsberg Ukraine.
Therefore, last year, major international company Carlsberg also began producing an energy drink – Battery in Ukraine.
Matsipla said the market was “booming”.
Industry surveys show that energy drink sales in Ukraine have soared by nearly 50% since the war began, even as the economy has been devastated and millions of Ukrainians have fled the country.
Truckloads of essentials are being bought by soldiers, troops and civilian volunteers who bring them to the front lines. Some beverage manufacturers (such as IDS Ukraine) provide it for free. Ukrainian supply chains have moved to transport it.
Large trucks, pickup trucks, military vehicles painted in army green, motorcycles and bicycles made their way through bombed-out buildings and collapsed bridges, carrying boxes from factories in central and western Ukraine to the trenches hundreds of miles away in the east.
“Before the war, no one was buying on such a large scale,” said store owner Serhii Parakhin. “Except truck drivers.”
The best-selling brands are cheaper Ukrainian varieties such as Non Stop and Pit Bull, but imported brands such as Red Bull (from Austria), Monster (from the United States) and Hell (from Hungary) are also popular.
What sets energy drinks apart from other soft drinks is their high caffeine content, as well as additives such as taurine (an amino acid), B-12 (a vitamin), and guarana extract (from the Amazon fruit). All of these are thought to boost sluggish energy levels.
Many of these drinks contain about 100 milligrams of caffeine per can, about the same amount as a cup of coffee. But drinking coffee requires hot water, and for that you need to light a fire or plug in the electricity, neither of which is easy when you’re hunkered down in a muddy ditch.
Of course, there are health issues associated with consuming too much caffeine, which can lead to hand tremors, high blood pressure, and stomach problems. A 2018 study of U.S. soldiers found that heavy energy drink use was “significantly associated” with depression, anxiety, aggressive behavior and, paradoxically, fatigue.
Ukrainian infantry sergeant Bacha said one of his older soldiers had a heart condition and died last winter. The unit wanted to know if this might be related to his habit of drinking 10 cans a day. Bacha said the man was found passed out in the toilet with an energy drink in his hand.
Psycho denies the medical risks. Before the war, he said, he was a paramedic, a fitness freak and a kickboxing champion. In pre-war photos, he looked like a cross between a Calvin Klein underwear model and Mr. Universe. A multi-medal winner, he recently suffered a leg injury.
“I’ve been drinking these since I was 14,” he said. “They don’t have any problems.”
IDS Ukraine, one of the largest bottlers in Eastern Europe, said it donated up to 40,000 cans a month to the Ukrainian military. Soldiers were part of their process from the start, starting with the label: an old Ukrainian soldier – a Cossack – glowering from his handlebar mustache.
When the company launched its product last year, it asked military units to test it. Mr. Tkachuk explained that their recipe is slightly different – it’s based on mineral water and uses fructose and glucose instead of regular refined sugar. (“They say sugar is more energizing, but we found some examples in China where fructose and glucose were used,” he says.)
Soldiers like the taste, and Tkachuk admits the drink isn’t necessarily healthy, but “healthier.”
Some soldiers say they would rather carry energy drinks into battle than bread. Others say they have become frontline currencies.
“Energy drinks in the army are not just a drink, they are the most popular gifts,” said Anton Filatov, a soldier turned film critic.
(Russians have their own favorites, including some patriotic ones with red stars on the packaging.)
Last August, Sack was hit by a piece of shrapnel just a millimeter above his eye. He was delirious, bleeding, and in a state of shock.
“I crawled back to a spot and found a can of Burn,” he said.
He took a voracious sip and said he felt better immediately.
“In war, you try to pay attention to the little things,” Thicke explained. “Imagine. All it takes is a can of Burn. But I feel happy.
Aleksandra MykolisinKatya Rachna and Julie Creswell Contributed reporting.
