Фото: Reform.by
Belarus’s Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) issued a warning to Yandex Advertising LLC.
The move followed the discovery of advertisements for Nivea cosmetics on the Onliner website, despite the sale of these products being banned in Belarus.
“As part of its review of a citizen’s complaint, MART examined the mobile version of the Onliner information website and found that advertisements for cosmetic products, including NIVEA-branded goods, whose import and sale are prohibited, had been placed at the end of articles in the ‘AUTO’ and ‘TECHNOLOGY’ sections,” the ministry said.
Onliner LLC was issued an order to remedy the violation, which has been fully complied with.
Yandex Advertising LLC was identified as the advertiser. The company was warned about the “inadmissibility of violating advertising legislation and the need to take measures to prevent similar cases in the future.”
MART also recalled that failure to comply with an order to remedy a violation, as well as the issuance of two or more such orders within a year, may result in an advertising distributor being removed from the Register of Advertising Distributors.
Products made by Škoda, Liqui Moly and Beiersdorf — including the Nivea, Eucerin, La Prairie, Labello, Hansaplast, Florena, 8X4, Skin Stories, Gammon, Tesa, Chaul, Coppertone, Hidrofugal and Stop The Water While Using Me brands — were banned in April 2021. Before that, three companies had refused to sponsor the Ice Hockey World Championship if it was held in Belarus amid ongoing political repression. As a result, Minsk was stripped of the right to host the tournament. Lukashenka was angered by the decision, and the ban was imposed on his orders.