Investigation: Coca-Cola produced in Belarus is being sold in Crimea

На русском языке: Расследование: в Крыму начали продавать Кока-Колу произведённую в Беларуси
На беларускай мове: Расследаванне: у Крыме пачалі прадаваць вырабленую ў Беларусі Кока-Колу

The editorial team of motolko.help found out that since at least the middle of November, original Coca-Cola bottled at the Coca-Cola Beverages Belarus plant in the village of Kaliadzichy in the Republic of Belarus began to be sold in stores in occupied Crimea. This may be a smuggled supply from Belarus through Russia for further sale.

The first reports on the sale of Coca-Cola in Crimea were received in the second half of November. Sources said that it appeared quite recently – in the middle of November.

As proof, they provided photos of the drink in two sizes: 1,5 liter in a plastic bottle and 0,33 liter in a tin can. 

Belarusian Coca-Cola sold in Crimean stores / motolkohelp

Let’s do an initial review. The package says that the product is made with the permission of The Coca-Cola Company by Coca-Cola Beverages Belarus. The legal address is also indicated: 223056, Republic of Belarus, Minsk district, v. Kaliadzichy 147/2, and the address of the manufacture itself. The legal address is the same as the address indicated on coca-cola.by.

Contacts on the website coca-cola.by / motolkohelp

The phone number on both bottles is the same. An additional proof of originality is the registered trademark symbol – ® placed on the bottles.

However, it is theoretically possible to copy the entire package. Therefore, we also pay attention to the barcode on the tin can. We check the first 7 figures via the app Krama, and the result leaves no doubt that this is the Belarusian original.

Check of the barcode on a can of Coke / motolkohelp

Is there any evidence that Coke is sold specifically in Crimea?

According to the sources, Coca-Cola bottled in Belarus began to be sold in various stores, at least in Simferopol and Alushta. Moreover, we are not talking about markets, but small chain stores.

The indisputable proof of the purchase of this drink in Crimea is the cash receipt. For security reasons, we hid some data.

A cash receipt on the purchase of Coca-Cola in Crimea / motolkohelp

Thanks to the receipt, it is clear that the product was bought in the store at the following address: Crimea, Simferopol, 60 let Oktyabrya street, 22. There are several grocery stores: Yabloko supermarket, Privoz and Aromaty chai i kofe.

How can we check in which of these stores the drink was bought? The receipt does not show the name of the store, but it does have a tax identification number and the name of the legal entity – SYNAP LLC. A check on the TIN confirms that such a legal entity exists and is owned by Bulgakova Yelena Dmitriyevna, who owns at least 7 other companies.

The registration addresses of most of the legal entities of Yelena Dmitriyevna lead to the addresses of a large chain of stores in Crimea – Yabloko. Additional confirmation is the information about one of her companies on the E-Dossier, which says, «The company’s corporate name is Yabloko».

Screenshot from the E-Dossier website with the data of Green Ice LLC, which also belongs to Yelena Bulgakova / motolkohelp

Thus, we are talking about the illegal sale of products of The Coca-Cola Company not by a small private entrepreneur, but by a quite large network of grocery stores in Crimea.

According to the information on 2gis, the Yabloko chain has at least 30 stores in Crimea, and their page in VK says that they are located not only in Simferopol.

Addresses of Yabloko stores in Crimea / motolkohelp

«Our stores are located in many Crimean settlements: Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yevpatoria, Yalta, Alushta, Belogorsk, Chernomorsk, Partenit, Sudak, Saki, Dzhankoi,» the Yabloko page in VK says.

In addition, we also know that Coca-Cola produced in Belarus went on sale in another chain of grocery stores in Crimea – 7M Beztsen.

Are we dealing with circumvention of sanctions?

Seems like that. Back in June 2022, Reuters, citing a statement by The Coca-Cola Company, reported that production and sales of Coca-Cola and other company-owned brands would stop in Russia.

The website of the Coca-Cola Company in Russia also says that the company suspends its activities in Russia.

Screenshot from the website Coca-Cola Russia / motolkohelp

The key question is whether Coca-Cola Beverages Belarus is connected with the supply of the original drink to Crimea.

Apparently, the stores of the Crimean Yabloko chain buy drinks produced in Belarus through their suppliers and bring them for sale not even to Russia, but to the occupied territory of Ukraine – is this true? We do not know yet.

However, we may not be talking about several hundred bottles, but at least tens of thousands. It is worth recalling that in September 2022, Minsk and Sevastopol signed an agreement on cooperation, despite the fact that official Minsk did not recognize Crimea as Russian.

To clarify the situation, we would like to receive comments from the Coca-Cola Beverages Belarus company. Is the company aware that its products are being sold in the occupied part of Ukraine, and will they take steps to cut off supply chains to Crimea?

If you know details about the supplies of the Belarusian Coca-Cola to Crimea or know what other stores in Crimea sell products made in Belarus by The Coca-Cola Company, please contact us via @motolko_bot or the anonymous contact form below. Please send photos/videos with confirmation. If you use the form, upload them to telegra.ph and attach the link.