State budget losses from illegal tobacco market rise to UAH 28.1 bln – Hetmantsev

The level of the illegal tobacco market in Ukraine at the beginning of 2026 stabilized at 17.6%, but the amount of annual budget losses from tax evasion increased by UAH 1.6 billion compared to the previous period, reported Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy.

"There is no victory, but it is good that the situation has stabilized. At the same time, it is too early to relax. Budget losses from the illegal market are already estimated at UAH 28.1 billion per year," he wrote on his Telegram channel, citing new data from a study by Kantar Ukraine.

The committee chairman emphasized that every sixth pack of cigarettes in Ukraine remains illegal. He expressed particular concern regarding the segment of products labeled as Duty Free or intended for export but actually sold on the domestic market. The share of such products rose to 7.7% (compared to 6.2% in October 2025).

According to the published data, more than half of such products (57%) are linked by labeling to the Vynnyky Tobacco Factory, and another 41% to Marshall Finest Tobacco.

Hetmantsev stressed that the measures taken to date to combat the shadow economy are insufficient and called for increased opposition to underground production and sales.

"Ultimately, the renewed ESBU (Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine) needs to demonstrate its effectiveness," the head of the parliamentary committee emphasized.

As reported, the overall level of the illegal tobacco market in October 2025 was 17.8%. The main regions for the distribution of such products remain the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Kharkiv regions.