The public organization "Zhittya" in partnership with the NGO Anti-Corruption Headquarters and the NGO Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law named people's deputies and officials who act in the interests of the tobacco industry, thereby supporting the sponsors of the war, the website "The Bitter Truth about Philip Morris" reports. .
At the end of 2023, as many as three government officials directly and openly lobbied for the corporate interests of the sponsor of the war and Russian aggression in Ukraine—Philip Morris.
Among MPs-lobbyists of Philip Morris, Galina Yanchenko became the laureate of the Golden Braid anti-prize. The Chairman of the Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada for the Protection of Investor Rights, a member of the Committee on Economic Development, received the Bronze Braid.
Among the government representatives awarded the Golden Brake for actions in the corporate interests of the tobacco industry, primarily Philip Morris, are Alexander Melnichenko and Sergei Tsivkach, current and former (2020 - December 2023) director of the government agency Office of Attraction and Support investments."
As the organizers of the anti-prize note, Galina Yanchenko did not vote for amendment No. 174 to bill No. 9206, which prohibited the visible placement of tobacco products and electronic smoking devices in retail outlets and was aimed at fulfilling international obligations under the WHO FCTC. Despite public appeals and calls to boycott participation, she represented Ukraine at the international conference “BALKAN AND BLACK SEA PERSPECTIVES 2023”, organized by The NATO Defense College Foundation in partnership with the tobacco company Phillip Morris Italy, which is part of the transnational tobacco company Philip Morris International." PMI is a recognized international sponsor of the war against Ukraine by the NAPC. The participation of an international war sponsor in a security conference discredits Ukraine's efforts to counter Russian funding.
As for A. Melnichenko and S. Tsivkach, the organizers note: “In June 2023, the state institution Office for Attracting and Supporting Investments (Ukraininvest) announced the assistance of Philip Morris International to develop the production and sale of its narcotic products to Ukrainians. After the NGO “Zhittya” submitted a statement to the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Security and Defense Council about the inadmissibility of such assistance, all mentions of cooperation with PMI on the government agency’s website disappeared. Ukraineinvest also proposed to reject the draft Law on the ban on the visible placement of tobacco and nicotine products in retail outlets, submitted by the State Food and Consumer Service for public discussion. Thus, “Ukraininvest is counteracting Ukraine’s implementation of international obligations stipulated by the WHO FCTC and the protection of young people from being attracted to smoking, which coincides with the interests of the tobacco industry.”
The “Golden Braid” anti-prize is awarded to people’s deputies and officials for lobbying the interests of the tobacco industry, which contradicts the interests of protecting the health of citizens. This award was founded in 2011. The “Golden Braid” symbolizes the fact that politicians who promote the interests of tobacco companies are wasting money while simultaneously taking the lives of Ukrainian citizens.
“For a government agency to facilitate the conduct of business of a multinational tobacco company is absurd and unacceptable, especially when that company is Philip Morris International, an international sponsor of the war against Ukraine and the largest taxpayer in Russia among international companies. “Ukraininvest’s actions directly contradict the Law of Ukraine No. 2899-IV, which provides for the implementation by the Cabinet of Ministers of state policy to prevent and reduce the use of tobacco products and their harmful effects on public health, as well as Ukraine’s international obligations provided for by the WHO FCTC,” noted Sergey Mitkalik , Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Headquarters NGO.
In turn, Dmitry Kupyra, executive director of the NGO “Zhittya” noted: “In 2023, the intervention of the tobacco industry and cooperation with individual politicians made it possible to preserve the main source of advertising for tobacco and nicotine products - the cigarette display. According to a KIIS survey, 32% of Ukrainians notice such advertising in retail outlets. Thus, the deputies, who acted in the interests of the tobacco industry, delayed for an unknown period the implementation of international obligations in accordance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and ignored public demand.”
In addition, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine decided to provide, among other things, the international sponsor of the war, Philip Morris International, with a tax preference of 5 billion hryvnia annually.
The adoption of a tax preference for TIEN, initiated by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, will lead to a shortfall in the State Budget of Ukraine of at least UAH 5.2 billion annually. Contrary to the interests of Ukraine, these funds from the pockets of citizens will go to the benefit of tobacco companies, including international sponsors of the war.
That is, the Cabinet of Ministers proposes to provide tax breaks to large tobacco corporations Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International at a time when Ukraine has a huge budget deficit and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are in need of ammunition. Moreover, when the largest beneficiary of such preferences will be a company that pays billions of dollars in taxes to the Russian budget.
According to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption of Ukraine, Philip Morris International is one of the international sponsors of the war. NAPC added this company to its list in August 2023. And although Philip Morris announced its intention to sell its Russian business at the beginning of the war, it still has not done so and continues to operate in Russia. This tobacco company is the largest international taxpayer to the budget of the killer country, so in 2022 it paid $4.756 billion to the Russian budget. These taxes are used to finance the war against Ukraine, including the purchase of weapons and ammunition that kill Ukrainians.
