Russian Justice Department Investigates Anti-Dealer Movement for Alleged Foreign Funding

The Russian Ministry of Justice has taken an interest in the anti-smuggling campaign of former State Duma representative and Olympic athlete Dmitry Nosov. The association he is affiliated with is accused of receiving large sums of money from foreign tobacco giants while serving their interests. According to Nosov, these former soldiers are suspected of receiving tens of millions of rubles from British and American tobacco companies and Philip Morris. This is not a matter of gratitude, but rather a smear campaign against the popular trend of e-cigarettes among young people. While it may seem like a good thing in the name of national health, the question remains: whose money is it?

Antidealer has been in existence since 2013. Judo athlete and social activist Dmitry Nosov, along with his friend Denis Terskov from the Judo Federation, are leading supporters of the movement.

Since 2019, the anti-counterfeiting campaign has been operating through public crackdowns on counterfeit products in the Terskov registered regions. Now, funds from tobacco companies British American Tobacco and Philip Morris are being deposited into the campaign's social accounts. Mash reported that the Ministry of Justice has issued statements regarding these receipts.

The company received approximately 600,000 rubles (equivalent to approximately 66,000 yuan) in 2019, which increased to approximately 6.4 million rubles (equivalent to approximately 708,000 yuan) in 2020. For 2021, the company is expected to receive around 34.5 million rubles (equivalent to approximately 3.81 million yuan) and around 41.5 million rubles (equivalent to approximately 4.59 million yuan) in 2022.

Everything will be alright, but the movement has funded a three-year attack against tobacco. Most often, these attacks occur in places where electronic cigarettes and disposable products are sold. There, radical activists have found counterfeit goods, condemned fans of "pipes," and generally treated the entire country with contempt. Booths are primarily located in Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Rostov, and Orenburg. Overall, Nosov and Terskov are promoting themselves as radical supporters of a healthy lifestyle in every corner.

In a conversation with Mash, a man named Denis claimed to be the leader of Antidealer and stated that all accusations were false. He denied any involvement with foreign funding and reported that Nosov and Terskov had no association with the movement. Typically, members use their own money and are against e-cigarettes due to concerns over the health of children purchasing them.