Belarus’ Role in Illicit Trade Under Scrutiny

One of the features in the final issue of Tobacco Reporter, published in December 2024, described how the Belarusian tobacco industry has been shrouded in secrecy for over a decade.

According to the last official information from Belarusian authorities, released in 2015, domestic cigarette consumption amounted to 30 billion pieces per year. However, local analysts warned at the time that this figure had nothing to do with reality.

Indeed, research by KPMG showed the actual consumption of cigarettes in Belarus to be closer to 18 billion pieces, with an additional 13 billion in exports. Of these exported cigarettes, 8.6 billion were ending up in Russia and 4.3 billion in the European Union.

Recently, concerns have been growing over the flow of cheap cigarettes, often smuggled, between Belarus and the EU and Russia.

In 2023, Belarus accounted for 84.5% of illegal cigarettes sold on the Russian market, according to the Russian National Scientific Competence Centre for Combating Illegal Circulation of Industrial Products. And while the flow of illegal cigarettes from Belarus to the EU has subsided in recent years – as a result of tighter border controls – Belarus remains the absolute leader in the supply of illegal ‘white’ cigarettes, with a staggering 43% share in total deliveries to Europe.