BAT’s Russia Business Restructured: Former Executives Remain in Control as Holding Company Moves to

The Russian division of British American Tobacco has been taken over by BFI Holding, a company based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which is co-owned by former senior executives of British American Tobacco and Russian distributors.

According to a report by Kommersant on November 13, the Russian division of British American Tobacco (including brands like Kent, Rothmans, Dunhill, etc.) is now owned by a company based in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi.

This company is co-owned by three former senior executives of British American Tobacco and two individuals possibly related to distributors of the СНС group, a structure that will allow access to foreign banks and may facilitate global trade.

The former Russian structural divisions of British American Tobacco, including AO BAT-SPb and AO MUMT, have now been transferred to BFI Holding in Abu Dhabi. The common owners of these companies include Faruk Енер, Oleg Барвин, Елена Заварзина, Андрей Осаволюк, and Сергей Кудинов.

Among them, Енер previously served as the general manager of British American Tobacco in Russia, Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Belarus, Барвин led the legal department, while Заварзина's position on LinkedIn is marketing director for British American Tobacco in Russia.