Ukrainian soldiers who have been trained in the United Kingdom were given free cigarettes under a deal brokered by the Ministry of Defence.
Despite the clear health risks of smoking, the MoD opted to hand Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops cigarettes.
The arrangement also allowed tobacco donated to the troops to be imported duty free as part of their rations.
Ukrainian soldiers brokered the deal after complaining cigarettes were too expensive in the UK.
Ukrainian soldiers trained in UK given free cigarettes which was 'hugely appreciated' to boost morale
REUTERS
They also warned cigarettes were in too short supply at the training bases to meet their needs.
A pack of 20 cigarettes in Ukraine costs £1.70, compared with the UK’s price of £15.67 since last December.
Ben Wallace facilitated the arrangement during his time as Defence Secretary.
He worked alongside Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov amid claims that the cigarette shortages were impeding the soldiers’ ability to concentrate on their training.
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PAIt also supposedly posed a risk to morale from the lack of “creature comforts”.
The deal was disclosed just days after Rishi Sunak secured the second reading on his legislation to ban smoking for an entire generation of young people.
The cigarettes were donated by an international tobacco firm and given to the soldiers as part of their rations.
Troops were also separately offered healthier alternatives, including vapes and nicotine pouches.
A source said: “It is fair to say that smoking is going to be less of a threat to these brave soldiers’ lives than fighting Putin’s illegal invasion of their country.”
A Ukrainian Government source also told The Telegraph: “It was a very long and complicated bureaucratic process but we did it. It was hugely appreciated by our soldiers.”
Ukrainian recruits lubricate their AK-47 assault rifles during a five-week combat training course with the UK armed forces
GETTY
Another source claimed: They smoke at higher levels than us. Not only were cigarettes in the UK too expensive but there were not enough of them in the camps where they had to stay.
“It was reported up the chain of command that there were concentration and creature comfort issues as a blocker to progress on training.”
An MoD spokesman added: “The UK has trained over 60,000 Ukrainian personnel, providing them with the battlefield skills they need to fight Putin’s illegal invasion.
“Ukrainian recruits who were existing smokers could access cigarettes as part of their supplied ration packs.
“No public money was spent on cigarettes, and we ensured that healthier nicotine alternatives and advice were available.”
