Despite police raids, the UVAPE chain remains open, according to a Telegraf investigation
The public outcry surrounding the raids at UVAPE was echoed by everyone from the Prosecutor General to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
“One less scheme for the illegal production, storage, transport and sale of e-liquids,” wrote Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, Director of the Economic Security Bureau, on his social media accounts.
However, as Telegraf journalists discovered, the “crackdown” on social media has not prevented UVAPE from continuing to operate.
“At the time of writing, the UVAPE online shop and its Instagram page continued to operate as if no high-profile raids or ‘scheme dismantling’ had taken place,” the publication notes.
The journalists carried out their own test purchase and bought a vape device and a couple of the cheapest items from the range – a berry mix for DIY e-liquid and a set with tobacco and baked goods flavours.
“After paying, we were surprised to find that we had paid for some abstract ‘entertainment’. At any rate, that is exactly what was stated in the payment category. So, formally speaking, it turns out we didn’t buy a vape mix, but simply had a good time,” the investigation states.
According to Telegraf, payment for the illegal goods is received by a sole trader – Olena Vitaliivna Hromova. She was registered after the war began in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast. The town is almost completely destroyed as it is located in a combat zone.
“And, of course, upon opening the parcel, we found nicotine inside – the very substance that wasn’t specified when the order was placed. As expected, there were no financial documents relating to the purchase in the parcel,” writes Telegraf, adding that the UVAPE network, at least in the online segment, continues to operate.
The mixtures themselves, in a variety of flavours, are being sold without issue, and nicotine boosters are automatically included in parcels.
“And this raises a rather simple question: what exactly was the ‘liquidation’ of the network that the Prosecutor General and the leadership of the State Bureau of Investigation publicly announced, if in practice, particularly online, everything continues to operate as before?” the journalists ask indignantly.
It should be noted that, despite bans and strict regulation, the e-cigarette market in Ukraine continues to exist almost entirely in the grey market. According to a study by Kantar Ukraine, so-called “disposables” (almost all of which, without exception, are flavoured) are 99.1% illegal.
As previously reported by ThePublic, Danylo Getmantsev, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, stated that the head of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU), Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, should be both professional and results-oriented. Instead, under his leadership, the bureau prioritises media activity over concrete work.
