Ukraine is taking Australia to the World Trade Organisation over its plain packaging of tobacco laws although it has not traded any tobacco with Australia since at least 2005, a Ukrainian government insider has revealed.

Konstantin Krasovsky, the head of the Tobacco Control Unit in the Institute for Strategic Research in the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, said the decision was made in secret within the Ministry of Economics, despite the Ukrainian President attempting to crack down on the tobacco industry.

Dr Krasovsky, who attended the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Singapore last week, told the Herald: ''There is no economic interest whatsoever … no one in Ukraine will suffer from Australian plain packaging''.

Dr Krasovsky believes the letter requesting the WTO dispute resolution was not written by a citizen of Ukraine, as it was written first in English and then in Ukrainian and it had not been run past the Ministry of Health, as would be usual practice.

Plain packaging of all tobacco products in Australia is due to come into force in December. There are currently three challenges to the decision.