KIEV, April 21 – Supplies to the shadow market by state-run enterprise Ukrspyrt cost the state UAH 10 billion annually, according to British financier Neil Smith, the co-owner of Medoff brand.

"This is an established system, which annually incurs UAH 10 billion losses to the Ukrainian economy in unearned income, excise duties and VAT," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Smith said that in Ukraine every year about 35 million decaliters of vodka are consumed. However, in 2015, around 18.6 million decaliters were sold officially.