The Ministry of Defence (MoD) was blocked from including a “Slava Ukraini” (“Glory to Ukraine”) message in boxes of free cigarettes for Ukrainian troops, after being advised that the move was illegal under anti-smoking legislation.
Officials contacted a major tobacco company in 2022, asking whether the company could provide cigarettes to Ukrainian soldiers training in Britain, who had complained they were too expensive in the UK and in short supply at MoD bases.
The department asked whether it could order cigarettes in bulk and the company could include a message of support for Ukraine on an insert in the packet.
The plan was designed to emulate messages of support for troops on cigarette cards during the First World War, when brands included in their packets watercolour drawings depicting battlefield heroism.