Retail Outlets Of Lukashenka's Tobacco ‘Moneybag’ Company Closed En Masse In Some Cities

What is the reason for this and what will happen next?

In Hrodna and Baranavichy, kiosks of the “Tabakerka” chain have closed en masse. In addition to cigarettes and related products, these kiosks also sold tickets for public transport. A Zerkalo correspondent, as a local resident, called the Hrodna and Brest branches of the “Energo-Oil” company, which manages the chain, and found out what was happening.

— Everything will open, but I cannot name a date. The enterprise is currently being reorganized. Figuratively speaking, it is being divided into two. We must wait until one organization hands over and the other accepts. The “Tabakerkas” will start working in the same places where they are now, — answered the “Brest-tabak” branch of the “Energo-Oil” company.

According to the assurances of the employee, these processes will take “about three weeks, a month at most.” As planned, after the opening, the outlets will sell the same assortment as before.

The Grodno-Tabak branch of the Energo-Oil company responded similarly: the closure is temporary. The reason is that the owner is changing.

— I think that for two weeks the Tabakerka kiosks will work as before, — the company reported.

At the same time, none of the branches could tell any other details about the upcoming changes in the work of the Tabakerka kiosks.

Recently, residents of Hrodna began to complain that the Tabakerka kiosks at public transport stops in the city were closed, because of which people cannot buy tickets for travel. It was noted that the closure of the outlets in two cities is temporary, due to the fact that the kiosks are changing owners.

At the end of September, 27 Tabakerka kiosks were temporarily closed in Baranavichy.

Important to note, the Tabakerka kiosk chain is managed by the Energo-Oil company of the Aliaksei Aleksin family. The businessman himself, who is reported to be close to Aliaksandr Lukashenka, is under sanctions as one of the politician's “moneybags”. In January 2021, it became known that Aleksin had transferred the companies to his sons, presumably fearing sanctions. At that time, the beneficial owner diagram on the MTBank website indicated that 40% of the shares in Energo-Oil belonged to Vitaly and Dzmitry Aleksin, and another 20% to Ina Aleksina (the businessman's wife). In August 2021, the Energo-Oil company itself was also under sanctions. And in April 2022, by decree of Lukashenka, Aleksin's business was excluded from the list of companies with the exclusive right to import tobacco raw materials and products.

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