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Tag: Ukraine

  • PMI Suspends Operations in Ukraine

    PMI Suspends Operations in Ukraine

    Philip Morris International is suspending operations in Ukraine, including its factory in Kharkiv, following the invasion of Russian forces into the country, according to The Wall Street Journal.

    “The safety and security of our colleagues and their families is our primary concern, and we have, therefore, temporarily suspended our operations in Ukraine,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak. “Our employees are advised to stay at home or in any safe place and follow instructions from local authorities.”

    PMI has more than 1,300 employees in Ukraine. The country accounted for about 2 percent of PMI’s total cigarette and heated-tobacco shipment volume in 2021.

    PMI has stated that it has contingency plans in place to restart operations once conditions are safe.

  • Ukraine Enacts Tobacco Control Law

    Ukraine Enacts Tobacco Control Law

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 6 signed a sweeping new tobacco control law after nearly two years of deliberations.

    The legislation prohibits smoking and e-cigarette in enclosed public spaces. Additionally, it bans the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of all tobacco products; increases the size of warning labels required on cigarettes, heated cigarettes and e-cigarettes; and bans flavored products.

    More than 40 percent of Ukrainian men smoke and approximately 130,000 Ukrainians die from tobacco-related diseases each year, according to the U.S.-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).

    “Ukraine’s new law is a significant step in curbing this deadly toll and will also align the country’s tobacco control measures with member states of the European Union. These measures include regulations on nicotine content and emission levels from tobacco products,” said CTFK Regional Director for Eurasia Joshua Abrams in a statement.

    “For decades, tobacco companies have used strategies like youth-oriented marketing and flavors to lure young people into a lifetime of addiction. Ukraine’s new measures send a strong message to Big Tobacco that Ukraine will not allow its youth to face this fate.”