Unilever's continued presence and profitability in Russia raises concerns as Ukraine lists the company among sponsors of war
Ukraine added Unilever to the list of war sponsors, 3 July 2023
Ukraine has included the international company Unilever in the list of sponsors of the war... After the start of the military invasion of Ukraine, Unilever announced its withdrawal from Russia and the halt of its production in the country, but did not fulfill its promise.
The Ukrainian National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) reports that the Russian branch of the company - Unilever Russia - not only continues to work, but has significantly increased its profits over the past year. According to the agency, the net profit of Unilever Russia in 2022 increased by 24.9% compared to 2021 and amounted to 8.03 billion euros....
Unilever has over 3,000 employees in Russia. Its enterprises in Omsk, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and Tula continue their work, and offices - operational activities. In 2022, the company paid about $50 million in taxes to the Russian budget.
“Unilever cannot oppose the war while simultaneously contributing to Putin’s war machine. We have included this company in the list of international sponsors of the war, because their hundreds of millions of tax contributions to the Russian budget help finance the war against Ukraine,” said Alexander Novikov, chairman of the NAPC .