New tobacco market entrants
In 2024, the Belarusian tobacco market has undergone significant changes. International companies are terminating licensing agreements with sanctioned owners of large factories.
In May 2024, Japan's JT International terminated its licensing agreements with Pavel Topuzidis’ company Tabak-Invest, one of the largest cigarette manufacturers in Belarus. The reasons for the termination remain undisclosed but are probably related to sanctions.
The situation caught the attention of Aleksandr Lukashenko, who held a meeting on the tobacco industry in August and expressed concern:
"The current trends are worrying".
However, he assured that the government
“has found ways to mitigate the effects of sanctions and ensure the supply of raw materials".
At the same time, three new companies have entered the closed Belarusian tobacco market: Sentoni PRO, Alidi-West, and Muvlink.
Buro suspects that some of these companies appear to have been established to circumvent sanctions imposed on tobacco magnates Pavel Topuzidis and Aliaksei Aleksin.
MUVLINK
In August 2024, the Belarusian company Muvlink signed a license agreement with the British company JSS Tobacco Ltd for the Manchester cigarette brand. However, at the time of writing, Muvlink does not have a license to produce tobacco products.
The company was established in 2020, but its financial reporting is classified under Council of Ministers’ Resolution No. 1149 on the confidentiality of tax information, which is often applied to companies linked to Lukashenko's businessmen.
Buro gathered more information by investigating the background of Muvlink's management.
The former director and founder of Muvlink, Siarhei Yermalinski, worked in 2017-2018 in the company Energo-Oil, associated with Aleksin. Concurrently, in 2016-2017, he worked in the Belarusian Biathlon Club, which was headed by the then KGB chief Valery Vakulchyk. From 2020 to October 2023, Yermalinski was the director and owner of Muvlink.
In 2022, Edmund Tyshkevich, a former deputy of Yury Chyzh for economic and financial affairs at Triple, joined Muvlink as deputy director. Tyshkevich was arrested in 2016 during the so-called “Chyzh case” but was released with a plea deal. He remained employed at Triple until 2019.
In 2021, Tyshkevich left Triple for a position as deputy director at Kidma-Tech, a company linked to another Lukashenko’s “moneybag”, Alexander Zaitsev, and involved in arms production. Kidma-Tech has been under US sanctions since 2021.
In 2022, Tyshkevich transfered to Muvlink and continued his work there after a change in leadership and ownership.
The company is currently owned and managed by Anastasia Savelyeva, who worked under Yermalinski at Muvlink since 2021 and took over in 2023. Prior to that, she spent a significant amount of time at TechnoNICOL, a subsidiary of a Russian manufacturer of roofing and insulation materials.
Her husband, Dzmitry Savelyeu, is a senior officer in the Main Directirate for Combating Corruption and Organised Crime which mostly deals with fighting political dissenters. In 2015, he held the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Anastasia Savelyeva declined to comment on Muvlink's activities when contacted by Buro.
SENTONI PRO
Established in December 2023, Sentoni PRO produces cigarettes under the Vogue, Kent, Rothmans, Pall Mall, and Lucky Strike brands and imports Camel, Richmond, and Sobranie.
It is jointly owned by Siarhei Karpovich and OOO Stroy-AnDi, each holding a 50% stake.
Karpovich is associated with sanctioned businessmen Pavel Topuzidis and Viktar Piatrovich. He had previously co-owned other companies linked to Topuzidis.
The other owner, Stroy-AnDi, is headed by Andrei Piskarou, who worked for Lukashenko associate Yury Chyzh and later was a business partner of Siarhei Chyzh and Dzmitry Aleksin.
Buro has previously reported in detail on Sentoni PRO.
RUSSIAN ALIDI-WEST
On August 1, 2024, another newcomer entered the Belarusian tobacco market.
The subsidiary of the Russian trade holding Alidi, Alidi-West, has started the production of Kent and Rothmans cigarettes in the country.
Although the company was registered in 2012, it was previously engaged in the supply of pet food from Nestlé and other manufacturers, baby food, and various products from Procter & Gamble.