Global tobacco companies have paid nearly GBP 7 billion in taxes to the Russian government since Moscow invaded Ukraine, despite being hit with international sanctions and promises to leave the country, The reports Times.

According to Russian Finance Ministry data seen by The Sunday Telegraph, Russia has collected GBP 6.8 billion (USD 7.9 billion) from tobacco taxes since February of this year.
The Russian cigarette industry is dominated by three companies that control most of the market: British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International, and Japan Tobacco International. A number of multinational companies withdrew from the Russian market after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine triggered widespread financial sanctions against Moscow and created significant legal liabilities for companies still operating in Russia.
Bob Seely, a Tory MP on the Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Telegraph: “It’s clearly completely wrong that these Western firms continue to pay significant taxes into Russian coffers. These companies said they would not support the Russian state and they would do the right thing, but they patently haven’t done that.”
In October, the European Union imposed its eighth package of financial sanctions on Russia, which includes extending a ban on imports of products such as cigarettes.

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