BEB conducts searches in 12 regions of Ukraine as part of operation against illegal vapes

Ukraine’s Bureau of Economic Security, together with the National Police, carried out a large-scale operation to crack down on the illegal circulation of vapes across 12 regions of the country. The operation was conducted under the procedural supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Telegram channel of BEB Director Oleksandr Tsyvinsky.

“This is one of many operations that the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine has conducted recently in this segment. Underground workshops, counterfeit goods, illegal points of sale — we are systematically identifying and shutting them down,” Tsyvinsky wrote.

At the same time, the head of the BEB warned that new illegal vape distribution schemes could emerge as early as the following day — saying that “for now, the state is primarily fighting the consequences rather than the causes.”

“The vape market has long required strict and clear legislative regulation, transparent rules, and real conditions for doing business legally, or else a substantial tightening of criminal liability for illegal production and sale,” Tsyvinsky stressed.

Ukraine has restrictions on smoking in public places — in educational institutions, hospitals, food establishments, playgrounds, building entrances, and public transport. Violations are punishable by fines. The ban applies to traditional cigarettes as well as electronic devices, hookahs, and herbal mixtures.

As RBC-Ukraine previously reported, the United Kingdom has passed a law banning the branding, advertising, and promotion of electronic cigarettes and nicotine products targeted at children. Some representatives of the vape industry warn that excessive restrictions could have the opposite effect — pushing former smokers who switched to vaping back to tobacco.

In July 2025, France introduced a smoking ban in a number of public places — on beaches, in parks, near schools, libraries, swimming pools, and public transport stops. Violations carry fines of up to EUR 700.