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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
If yesterday we shed a little light on the scale of classic tobacco imports by the illicit industry, today let’s estimate the volumes of nicotine imported for vapes.
This substance is the key component of all “disposables” and “DIY mix” kits, which, combined with glycerin and flavoring, creates the vape liquid.
And while glycerin and flavoring are purely food-grade components that are almost impossible to track, the import of liquid nicotine gives at least some idea of the scale and the players in this market.
In 2025 year, 3,8 tons of nicotine were imported into Ukraine for a total of 736 645 $.
And this is not liquid, ready-to-use nicotine with a concentration of 20 mg/ml, but a concentrate with a share of up to 99%, from which the “working” nicotine liquid is later produced and labeled and sold as a “flavor enhancer.”
I’m spelling this out in detail so you understand the real scale of the market.
3,8 tons of imports at a concentration of 99% is approximately 190 000 liters of ready-to-use nicotine liquid, which equals 38 million bottles of 5 ml each.
Of course, the concentrate may be of slightly lower concentration, but you get the order of magnitude.
The main nicotine importers in 2025 year were:
LLC “CLOUD CASTLE LAB” - 710 kg (135 000 $)
LLC “BEST COMPONENT” - 1 310 kg (240 000$)
LLC “NIKO BUS” — 159 kg (28 000 $)
LLC “TRANS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT” - 1 600 kg (319 thousand $)
And the interesting last company here is LLC “TRANS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT,” which imported the most.
In May of 2026 year, the State Bureau of Investigation and the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department conducted a large-scale operation revealing a criminal group engaged in the production and sale of DIY vape mixes.
And this LLC is named in the criminal proceedings as the main one. 300 searches were conducted, 8 suspicions were handed down, and goods worth 170 million UAH were seized.
According to law enforcement, it serviced the networks Vape Shop, Vape City, Vape House, TAV, Vanlavky, Tabachka, Vape Bar, SMOK, Vapors, Vape Club, Tabaknet, Paranoia, Bandit Vape Store.
Yet 53% of total imports in 2025 year falls to companies that are members of the vape association “VARES.” This concerns LLC “CLOUD CASTLE LAB” and LLC “BEST COMPONENT.” They imported 2,02 tons of nicotine worth 375 772 $.
Now let’s look at the data for 2026 year, which indicate a large increase in nicotine import volumes.
So, in the first half of 2026 year, 2,3 tons were already imported for 448 thousand $.
LLC “CLOUD CASTLE LAB” - 719 kg (140 thousand $)
LLC “BEST COMPONENT” - 1 000 kg (183 thousand $)
LLC “TRANS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT” - 600 kg (124 thousand $)
And here is an interesting market dynamic.
In six months of 2026 year, 2,3 tons of nicotine were imported into Ukraine for a total of 448 636 $.
Obviously, the drop in imports by LLC “TRANS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT” is linked to the May actions of law enforcement, which led to an increase in imports and market share by members of the “VARES” association, namely LLC “CLOUD CASTLE LAB” and LLC “BEST COMPONENT.”
The unsinkable UVAPE network lives a separate life. About it — a bit later.
