Every cigarette or ice cream from Philip Morris and others like it is ammunition for the Russian occupier, which they use to shoot at us and our children, Vitaliy Kulyk assures.
Vitaliy Kulyk, director of the Center for Civil Society Studies, wrote about this on his Facebook page. Below is his direct speech.
Do you know what makes me most angry when I read the news? When you see a report of a friend’s death at the front and the news about how the income of the sponsors of this war has increased. Let’s read: Philip Morris’ net profit for 2023 increased by 28% and now this tobacco company has become the first in the ranking of the largest foreign companies in Russia according to Forbes. Your …
I have written many times that every cigarette or ice cream from Philip Morris and its ilk is ammunition for the Russian occupier, which they use to shoot at us and our children. The taxes paid by Philip Morris to the Russian budget were used to manufacture missiles that were used to hit sick children in Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt. This is how I evaluate the fact that this corporation not only did not leave the Russian market after the start of the great war, but increased its presence in the aggressor country.
Philip Morris’ RAS net profit for 2023 increased by 28% to RUB 6.29 billion from RUB 4.9 billion a year earlier. Revenue increased by 10% to RUB 440.19 billion from RUB 399.9 billion, gross profit by 10% to RUB 73.78 billion from RUB 67.12 billion, and pre-tax profit by 24% to RUB 8.62 billion from RUB 6.9 billion. This is stated in the company’s report.
“Philip Morris is not just one of the transnationals for whom the blood of Ukrainians on money from Russia means nothing. This corporation actively participates in events in support of the war in Ukraine. The photo shows the company’s gratitude from the militants of the “SVE” for the supply of cigarettes. “Philip Morris in Russia is known for its ties to the most crooked Russian politicians, such as Vladimir Medinsky, who is reasonably suspected of lobbying them. It is said that the son of actor and Putin’s favorite Mikhail Boyarsky, Sergei Boyarsky, currently a member of the State Duma and author of a bill to restore smoking areas in Russian airports, was promoted with grants and donations from Philip Morris.
After the missile attack on Kyiv on July 8, when a Russian missile hit the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, a video of the Philip Morris International (PMI) factory in the Leningrad region of Russia promoting the product (IQOS) in Russia and its production at the Philip Morris Ijora factory went viral on social media… What is this if not collaboration?
Philip Morris’s first place in the ranking of the largest foreign companies in Russia according to Forbes means that the company is deliberately collaborating with the Putin regime. They regularly pay taxes to the Russian budget, create jobs in Russia, and show the “success” of foreign capital loyal to Putin. In this way, Moscow sends a signal to other businesses: this is what kind of profits can be made if you ignore the sanctions.
However, I am more concerned about something else. Apart from adding Philip Morris to the list of sponsors of the war in Ukraine, the current government has done… nothing. This company operates in Ukraine, has production facilities and an office in Lviv, its own product line and market share, uses the fraudulent ad valorem algorithm (a variable component of the excise tax on tobacco products that determines the amount of tax depending on their price), and so on.
Did you know that almost ALL employees of Philip Morris and the Tedis tobacco distributor owned by Odesa businessman Borys Kaufman are exempt from mobilization in Ukraine? How many are so lucky?
How can it be that the company has become the leader in Russia among foreign investors in the war against Ukraine, while in Ukraine it receives not additional sanctions and nationalization, but benefits and “the status of an enterprise important for defense”? How much does this sur cost, and who are the lobbyists who protect Philip Morris in Ukraine?
FOR REFERENCE:
- Philip Morris International expects adjusted earnings in the range of $6.67-6.79 per share in 2024. The company’s shares are up 3.1% in pre-market trading. Capitalization since the beginning of the year has increased by 14% to $166.7 billion.
- Earlier, analysts from the Kyiv School of Economics estimated that the money Philip Morris International earned in Russia in 2022 ($7.888 billion) could buy 4,900 Kalibr missiles, 78 fifth-generation Su-57 fighters, or 1,089 T-90 tanks.