The Foreign Office thanked the SBU for successful conduct of a special operation to seize a record batch of counterfeit cigarettes. The Foreign Office wrote about this in its official Twitter account.

“The HMRC and the Security Service of Ukraine worked together to counter tobacco smuggling. Thanks to the largest operation in 30 years, a record number of illegal cigarettes was seized. Its total cost was GBP 130 m. The work of three factories that were engaged in their production has also been stopped,” the message says.

British diplomats said that illegal activity of one of the most serious organized criminal groups in Europe was blocked: “This saved more than GBP 100 m of taxpayers."

In general, the British side praised the cooperation with the SBU. “Combating criminal groups and eradicating corruption are important spheres in which the United Kingdom supports Ukraine. Law enforcement agencies in both countries are working closely together to combat transnational organized crime,” said the Foreign Office.

The Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov also thanked his British colleagues for their support: “It is very important when we can join our efforts to fight crimes in various spheres - from threats to national security to combating international smuggling. Ukraine is an important part of the European security system, and such cooperation brings tangible results,” he mentioned.

We should recall, that the SBU conducted a large-scale operation “Magma” jointly with British and Polish colleagues in summer of 2019. The activity of a criminal group was blocked and the largest smuggled consignment of tobacco products in the history of the independent Ukraine was seized.