A library of samples of finished tobacco products will be created in Ukraine. What will it help with
11 April 16:07
The creation of a library of samples of finished tobacco products is just one of the tools designed to help fight counterfeiting. They were discussed at the Forum on Criminal and Legal Protection of Intellectual Property in Times of War. This was reported by the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, according to
The existing tools for protecting intellectual property rights were discussed, and the results of the Bureau’s work in combating counterfeiting were evaluated.
What new tools should strengthen the fight against counterfeiting?
To improve communication, monitoring and prompt response to the facts of illegal circulation of counterfeit goods, the BES will create, for example, a contact center for the protection of intellectual property.
The forum also discussed an initiative to create a library of samples of finished tobacco products manufactured in Ukraine.
According to Yevhen Kuzmenko, Regulatory Affairs Manager at JTI, one of the largest tobacco manufacturers in Ukraine, such a library could become an effective tool for identifying counterfeit tobacco producers.
“All Ukrainian cigarette manufacturers will be required to submit samples of their products to this library. This will allow us to quickly identify illegal products and the equipment on which they were manufactured. This approach will significantly strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement agencies in the fight against the illegal market and help reduce the level of shadow trade in tobacco products in Ukraine,” said Yevhen Kuzmenko.
The participants of the forum also called for consideration of lowering the threshold of criminal liability for committing crimes under Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which refers to the illegal use of a trademark.
What are the BES detectives currently doing?
Law enforcers have recently documented and stopped the activities of 16 large-scale production of counterfeit products of well-known world brands in Kyiv, Zakarpattia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Chernivtsi and Kirovohrad regions.
“The detectives sent 55 criminal proceedings to court. The estimated value of the seized counterfeit products is over UAH 480 million,” said Oleksandr Tkachuk, Head of the Main Detective Unit of the Economic Security Bureau.
According to him, the main channels of distribution of counterfeit products are large wholesale markets and online trading, and the sources of supply of counterfeit goods to the Ukrainian market are underground workshops and smuggled goods mainly from China and Turkey.
The illegal tobacco market is recovering again
After a year of gradual decline, in February 2025, the illegal tobacco market in Ukraine showed growth again – up to 14.1%. This is confirmed by the data of the project “Monitoring of the Illegal Trade in Tobacco Products in Ukraine” conducted by Kantar Ukraine at the request of leading domestic tobacco manufacturers.
According to Tetyana Sverdlyk, Kantar Ukraine analyst, there is a noticeable increase in the share of illegal tobacco products with Duty Free or export labeling that are illegally sold in Ukraine. In February 2025, it amounted to 6.4%. There has also been an increase in the number of cases of counterfeiting, including counterfeit excise stamps.
Assessing these disappointing results, Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, demanded an immediate response from the State Tax Service and the BES and announced a meeting of the relevant committee.
