Ukraine: Illicit Tobacco Sales Hit Record High

The share of illicit tobacco products in Ukraine reached its highest level since the country’s independence in 1991, reports Interfax Ukraine.

According to an October study by the Kantar Ukraine Institute, illicit products accounted for 21.5 percent of the Ukrainian tobacco market in August 2022, up 5 percentage points over the average annual indicator for 2021.

The survey shows that Ukrainian smokers bought 8.46 billion illegal cigarettes since the beginning of 2022, equaling the volumes for the whole of 2021, and caused the government to miss UAH20.65 billion ($558.71 million) in tobacco tax payments.

Kantar Ukraine specified that fake cigarettes in Ukraine accounted for 8 percent of Ukraine’s tobacco market in August 2022 compared with 6.6 percent in August 2021.