Russia Reportedly Has 16,500 Illegal Tobacco Sellers, with 50% of Illicit Products Coming from Belar

In 17 regions of Russia, 16,500 sellers are illegally selling tobacco products, and half of these illicit products come from Belarus.

According to a September 18 report by Izvestia, large-scale illegal sales of tobacco products have been uncovered in Russia. In 17 regions of the country, 16,500 sellers were found to be illegally selling tobacco products. 

Under a government decree dated February 28, 2019, Russia introduced mandatory labeling through product identification for tobacco, nicotine-containing products, nicotine-free liquids, and electronic nicotine delivery systems. However, the investigation showed that not all participants in the retail trade market are complying with these requirements.

Among the 16,500 illegal sellers identified, the Moscow region ranked first with 2,625 illegal sellers, while the Oryol region had the fewest, with 153. 

According to the investigation, half of the illegal products came from the Republic of Belarus (about 50%), another 20% were counterfeit products manufactured in Russia, and the remaining 30% were smuggled into Russia from other countries.