Philip Morris and Other Tobacco Giants Continue to Do Business in Russia, Putting Profits First
Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Many multinational corporations have rightly stopped sales and operations in Russia following its horrific, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. But not Big Tobacco. Tobacco giants Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco continue to do business in Russia, showing once again that they lack a moral compass and always put profits before lives.
These companies have issued press releases with slippery language that they are “scaling down” operations in Russia. But empty PR gestures cannot disguise the fact that these tobacco companies continue to do business in Russia, boosting both their own profits and Russia’s economy as it continues its brutal assault on Ukraine. Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco should join other corporations in suspending operations and sales in Russia, but that may be too much to expect from companies that have spent decades making products that kill people.
According to Forbes, Philip Morris International is the largest foreign-owned company by revenue in Russia. Russia is the fourth-largest cigarette market in the world, and all three companies have extensive operations in the country.