Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention has put Japan Tobacco International on its list of companies supporting the Russia-Ukraine war, reports The Japan Times.
JTI holds about a third of the Russian market. The company has suspended new investment and marketing activities in Russia based on Western sanctions on Moscow following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The corruption prevention agency, however, criticized JTI for continuing business in Russia, resulting in the company paying large amounts of taxes to the country, helping the economy.
The company is aware of the agency’s action, according to a Japan Tobacco official, who also stated that the company is doing business in Ukraine as well. “We are providing aid and support to (Ukrainian) people in need and continuing to make contributions to the Ukrainian economy,” the official said.