The Estonian Defense Forces have refused to buy goods from manufacturers operating in Russia and sponsoring its military machine. According to the press service of the Ministry of Defense, the products of such companies as PepsiCo, Mars, Nestle, Unilever and Mondelēz International, as well as Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) will not be sold in retail outlets and vending machines on the territory of the Defense Forces and in other places subordinate to the military department, UNN informs.
"Many Western companies have ceased their operations in Russia, but there are some that continue to support the Russian economy and, consequently, its military machine", - said Estonian Defense Minister Hanna Pevkur.
The list of such producers was compiled by the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) of Ukraine. Thus, Estonia has once again expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, unwilling to support producers whose taxes go to arm the aggressor country.
This step does not mean that Estonian soldiers will be completely deprived of chocolate, ice cream, chewing gum, soft drinks and tobacco products. Only the products of international sponsors of the war will be removed from the shelves, and the free space will be taken by alternative products from domestic producers.
"The idea behind this decision is much more than the small difficulties caused by the situation", - the Defense Minister summarized.
As a reminder, Vitaliy Kulyk , director of the Center for Civil Society Studies, political scientist, has already drawn attention to the problem on his Facebook page.
According to him, Philip Morris International is one of the largest taxpayers to the Russian budget, which then finances the Russian army. Vitaliy Kulyk emphasizes that over the past 11 years, Ukraine has lost more than UAH 100 billion that could have been used to strengthen our country's defense. Instead, Ukrainians who buy cigarettes from Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco are actually paying taxes in Russia.