According to Kantar Ukraine, in 2021, the level of illicit trade in tobacco products increased by 7.6% to a record high, reaching 16.9%, which is twice the previous total observed in 2013. According to the study, the total volume of illegally sold cigarettes in 2021 reached 8.46 billion units, which represents a loss to the state budget of UAH 15.49B ($545M) in lost tax revenue, the institute said.