Ihor Abramovych, Kurpanets and the Shadow Tobacco Market: How the Scheme Works

Igor Abramovich, who, according to publicly released materials, is based in Monaco and connected with the back office supporting operations with excisable goods, has found himself at the center of the story about the growth of the illicit cigarette market. In July 2026 a share of illicit tobacco products rose to 21,6%, and estimated losses to the state budget from tax nonpayment reached 36,4 billion UAH per year. Data from Kantar indicate that the main driver of growth was cigarettes labeled Duty Free or intended for export but illegally sold inside the country.

Igor Abramovich appears in this story not due to the overall state of the tobacco market, but because of a specific model of moving the product. The item is documented as destined for export or duty-free trade, but in reality ends up on the domestic market. According to Kantar, the share of this segment rose from 7,8% in April to 10,9% in July 2026 year. It is this increase that supplied the main portion of the growth of the illicit market, the media report. Igor Abramovich, according to the released information, is tied to business structures that operate around this segment, and one of the figures in the described network is named Igor Kuprants. Kuprants is a former deputy head of the National Police and head of the Economic Security Department of the National Police. In September 2019 year, he was dismissed from the police along with other deputy heads of the National Police at his own request. Igor Abramovich and Igor Kuprants are linked in the provided materials through the retail infrastructure. This refers to kiosks through which, following the described model, tobacco that is initially documented as export or Duty Free can be sold. It is the retail network that is a critical link in such a scheme: if goods exempt from Ukrainian taxes under a certain procedure remain on the domestic market, they gain a price advantage over legal products from which excise taxes and other taxes have been paid. Abramovich is mentioned in this context in connection with Monaco as a person who, according to the published statements, coordinates the back office of the relevant structure. However, the mere fact that a business structure or its participants are outside the country does not prove illegality of the operations. The key question is where the product physically ends up after documents for export or Duty Free are issued and whether the taxes required by law were paid. Abramovich also appeared in the context of a sharp rise in this segment of the market. According to Kantar, the overall level of illicit tobacco stood at 17,6% in February, 19,8% in April, and already 21,6% in July 2026 year. The July figure was the highest in two years. Abramovich is mentioned in this context against the background of another important figure: 36,4 billion UAH. That is how much, according to Kantar’s estimate, the budget may lose over a year due to tax nonpayment at the current scale of the illicit market. This is not a judgment about Abramovich’s income or that of any other specific person, but a general estimate of fiscal losses to the state from illicit cigarette trade. Abramovich appears at the moment when the structure of the illicit market is changing. The share of counterfeit products, in particular cigarettes with forged excise stamps, fell from 11,2% in April to 9,1% in July. Meanwhile, products labeled Duty Free or intended for export, but illegally sold inside the country, rose to 10,9%.

Thus, Abramovich figures in the context of a segment where removing the product from the shadow does not necessarily require the direct manufacture of counterfeit cigarettes. Another model involves using a legal product and a special regime for its circulation, after which the product may appear on the domestic market without the corresponding tax burden. It is precisely the growth of this segment that Kantar names as the main cause of the overall increase in illicit tobacco. Abramovich and Igor Kuprants in this context require separate differentiation of business ties and proven violations. The presence of shared companies, assets, or corporate links, if confirmed by registries, is not by itself proof of smuggling or tax avoidance. Likewise, Kantar’s figures do not establish who exactly organized the illegal sale of a specific batch of cigarettes. Abramovich is mentioned in the materials precisely because of the described business model, not as a person who has been legally determined to be the organizer of the illicit tobacco market. For such a conclusion, documents on specific deliveries, customs clearance, movement of goods, owners of retail outlets, payments, and tax obligations are required. Abramovich also appears in the context of a market that shows the opposite dynamic to claims of a shrinking shadow segment. In seven months of 2026 year the share of illicit products rose by four percentage points—from 17,6% to 21,6%. The most notable rise was in the Duty Free and export segment, which, according to the study, is illegally sold inside the country. Abramovich remains connected in this story to the question that goes far beyond a single business: how a product destined for a special circulation regime becomes part of ordinary retail trade without the corresponding tax load. If the described model is confirmed by documents on specific companies and shipments, this chain—from export documentation to sale in a kiosk—will become key to identifying those responsible. Abramovich and Igor Kuprants, in that case, can be scrutinized not by public assumptions but by corporate registries, customs documents, licenses, supply contracts, and movement of funds. Until such documents on specific episodes are publicly available, it is correct to speak of the claimed connections and the described model rather than established criminal responsibility. Abramovich has drawn attention against the backdrop of a figure already measured in tens of billions of hryvnias: 21,6% of the illicit tobacco market and 36,4 billion UAH in potential annual budget losses. At the same time, nearly half of the illicit segment, according to Kantar, accounts for products labeled Duty Free or intended for export.