Vogue Highlights Emerging Vegan Trend in Russia

In a recent feature on Vogue magazine’s website, writer Liana Satenstein revealed that veganism is an emerging trend in both Russia and Ukraine. While the countries are well-known for being meat-and-cheese centric, Satenstein highlighted several indicators that the former Soviet states are embracing veganism. Moscow-based vegan restaurants KM20 and Fresh—which has four locations—are focusing on locally sourced plants such as nettles, dandelions, and spruces to create their plant-based menus, while Ukrainian restaurant and food truck Vegano Hooligano—with locations in Kiev and Odessa—also serve vegan fare to fill the growing demand. Owner Rudolf Krajewski has stated that “the amount of such places doubles annually” since 2011. Furthermore, Satenstein revealed that two-day festival Kyiv Vegan Boom recently welcome 10,000 visitors on its first day. Vegan festivals around the world are growing in popularity, with events in Bristol, UK, New Forest, England, and Los Angeles attracting record numbers in recent years.