Over 100 raids are being conducted as part of an investigation into the case against the monopolist of the Ukrainian tobacco market, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said.

"Over 100 raids are being conducted at the monopolist of the Ukrainian tobacco market and affiliated enterprises… Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro… Help to terrorist organizations of pseudo-republics, tax evasion… these are only several episodes of the "record of accomplishments" of the company. UAH 2.5 billion! Was removed to the belligerent country," he wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.

He said that "business roots" are located in Russia.

"Several agencies have been involved in conducting the large-scale operation: Department for investigating special cases in the economy of Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, Military Prosecutor General's Office, officers of the economic protection department and the internal security department of the National Police," the minister said.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said earlier on Friday that prosecutors had exposed a tax evasion scheme and arrangements to take out a large amount of funds, including with the purpose of financing terrorism, through Megapolis Ukraine LLC.

"Acting together with the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office and with the support of National Police divisions, the economy department of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office uncovered a major tax evasion scheme and illegal steps to take billions of hryvnias out of the country, including for the purposes of financing terrorism. A pretrial investigation has established that, since 2012, the owners of Megapolis Ukraine (currently TEDIS Ukraine) tobacco products distribution monopoly have in fact included Russian citizen Kesayev, who has been under the NSDC [National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine] sanctions in the form of a ban from transferring funds from Ukraine abroad," he said.

Under Kesayev's influence, people who coordinate all of their decisions with board members of Russia's Degtyaryov Plant have been appointed to key positions in the TEDIS Ukraine company, he said.

"A total of UAH 2.5 billion was taken out [of Ukraine] via transit firms' accounts in 2015-2017, despite the ban imposed by the NSDC and the National Bank of Ukraine," Lutsenko said, adding that the company had also received support from certain government agencies in order to maintain its monopoly status.