Philip Morris International continues to do business in Ukraine and remains one of the largest taxpayers to the budget of the Russian Federation. In 2024, the company opened a new factory in the Lviv region, equipped shelters for employees and local residents, and received public support from Ukrainian officials, including MP Halyna Yanchenko.
However, in parallel, another, much more dangerous center of the tobacco business is forming in Ukraine. Its real "heart" is considered to be Lviv businessman Hryhoriy Kozlovsky, whose name is associated with a number of scandals and shady operations. This time, attention is focused on TZOV "National Producer", which is officially positioned as a legal enterprise, but is actually used in smuggling schemes.
The principle of operation is simple: the products of the "National Producer" are registered as being exported outside Ukraine. For this, all necessary documents are prepared - customs declarations, invoices, contracts and shipping bills.
Thus, container MRSU4885915 was supposed to leave the country according to the documents, but in fact it remained in Ukraine. Tobacco products reach the customs terminal, in particular the SE "MTP "Chornomorsk", which is under the control of the Ministry of Regional Development. Then the cargo "disappears" into the shadows, and the products are illegally sold on the domestic market or through smuggling channels in the EU.
Thus, Kozlovsky consolidated his influence over one of the largest tobacco companies in the region and built a large-scale scheme to circumvent the law. Formal exits from the business or information attacks do not change the main fact: it is he who maintains control over illegal flows.
Against this background, Philip Morris International looks like just an “official showcase” — with new investments, support from officials, and beautiful reports. But the real shadow cigarette market in Ukraine is centered around Kozlovsky’s business empire, which operates through fictitious exports and corrupt agreements.
