Investigation into Wildberries' Sale of E-cigarettes in Moscow Region

Oct.13.2023
Investigation into Wildberries' Sale of E-cigarettes in Moscow Region
Moscow State Prosecutor's Office investigates e-cigarette sales by Wildberries, Russia's largest online marketplace, in response to lawmaker's inquiry.

According to a report by the Russian economic newspaper on October 11th, the Moscow State Prosecutor's Office is launching an investigation into whether the operators of the Wildberries online marketplace are selling e-cigarettes. This comes as a response to inquiries made by Russian Federation Parliament member Sultan Hamzaev.


In late September this year, Hamzaev requested Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov to investigate Wildberries, the largest e-commerce platform in Russia, regarding its sales of e-cigarettes.


Hamzayev pointed out that despite the ban on sales of these products, a large number of e-cigarette devices and e-cigarette liquids still appear on the website. A representative from Wildberries responded, stating that the sale of such products violates their regulations, and they claim that if any seller engages in false advertising, they will swiftly remove the relevant goods from their platform.


Hamzayev said that the unrestricted sale of e-cigarettes through online marketplaces has led to underage individuals purchasing such products. In April of this year, the state parliament of Russia passed a law banning the sale of e-cigarette liquids. The final version of the law states that the government has the authority to establish a "list of substances and additives," and the inclusion of e-cigarettes on this list would make their sale impossible.


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