Russia Strikes JTI and Imperial Brands Warehouses: Should We Expect a Cigarette Shortage Following the Attack?
6 August 23:55
The massive Russian attack on the Kyiv region on the night of August 5 continues to deal blows to Ukrainian businesses. It has been reported that the shelling destroyed a warehouse of finished products belonging to Japan Tobacco International (JTI) Ukraine and damaged goods belonging to Imperial Brands Ukraine. The latter has already reported losses amounting to tens of millions of hryvnias.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing “Ekonomichna Pravda.”
Russia destroyed JTI Ukraine’s warehouse
JTI Ukraine confirmed that during the nighttime attack by Russian forces, its finished goods warehouse in the Kyiv region was completely destroyed.
The company emphasized, however, that none of its employees were harmed.
“The safety and well-being of our employees remain the company’s top priority,” JTI stated.
Despite the loss of the warehouse, the company stated that it does not currently expect any disruptions in product deliveries to retail chains.
JTI has not yet disclosed the exact amount of material losses.
Imperial Brands reported tens of millions of hryvnias in losses
Imperial Brands Ukraine also reported losses following the Russian attack.
According to the company, products stored in the warehouses of distributors and retail partners were damaged during the shelling.
It has not yet been officially confirmed whether these are the same logistics facilities used by JTI.
Yevhen Kobets, director of Imperial Brands Ukraine, stated that the company’s losses are estimated at tens of millions of hryvnias.
According to him, the attack caused short-term disruptions in product supply to certain areas of the capital.
At the same time, the company notes that it suffered its greatest losses back in 2023 following a direct Russian strike on its infrastructure.
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Russia is increasingly targeting the logistics of Ukrainian businesses
In recent days, Russian troops have been systematically striking Ukraine’s civilian logistics infrastructure.
During a massive attack on August 5, facilities belonging to a number of large companies were also damaged or completely destroyed.
Among them:
- INTERTOP Ukraine — its main logistics warehouse was completely destroyed;
- LIQUI MOLY Ukraine — the central product warehouse sustained significant damage;
- “Epicenter” —logistics complexes and ceramic tile production facilities were destroyed;
- ROZETKA — its logistics infrastructure was damaged;
- “Nova Poshta” — the sorting center in Kyiv was completely destroyed;
- BookChef Publishing — over 100,000 books were lost after a strike on the backup warehouse.
Experts note that strikes on logistics centers, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities are aimed at disrupting supply chains; however, most major Ukrainian companies are already switching to backup logistics routes to minimize the impact on consumers.
Will There Be a Product Shortage?
At this time, neither JTI Ukraine nor Imperial Brands Ukraine is reporting any long-term disruptions in supplying retail chains.
JTI emphasizes that deliveries will continue as usual, while Imperial Brands acknowledges only short-term difficulties in certain regions.
At the same time, the companies continue to assess the extent of the damage and are working to restore their logistics processes.
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