...We write to you as B4Ukraine, a coalition of Ukrainian and international civil society organizations working to curtail the financial resources enabling the Russian invasion of Ukraine...

We request an urgent dialogue regarding potential inconsistencies between Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) stated policies on Russian aggression and human rights more broadly and the company’s ongoing business operations and relationships in Russia that may contribute to, or be linked with, human rights harms...

According to our research, J&J continues to perform a leadership role in the Russian pharmaceutical market, maintaining a significant presence and operational footprint in the state. J&J is one of the top producers by sales volumes in the Russian pharmaceutical market.9 It generates 1 percent of its revenue from Russia, and pharmaceuticals account for half of the business in the country.10 The company has three regional offices and generates revenue of $1078 million in the Russian Federation, and as such it is a significant taxpayer in the country.11 Further, the company maintains a staff of 1675 people in Russia.

A new report by the Moral Rating Agency names J&J as the third most egregious offender on its “Dirty Dozen” list of companies failing to exit Russia or limit business operations, despite condemning the invasion of Ukraine.12 The report notes that J&J is one of the Western companies with the heaviest involvement in Russia, indicating specifically the continued operation of the J&J Moscow Institute and the activity regarding pharmaceutical and medical devices.13

It is our understanding that J&J continues to provide medical devices and medicines to Russia, referring to humanitarian and health related reasons. While medicine is not proscribed under existing sanctions, the blanket argument by pharmaceutical companies that they are providing “essential goods” has attracted criticism...

We seek to understand the status of J&J’s exposure to Russia and how the company has conducted and continues to conduct heightened human rights due diligence, per its stated policy and the UNGPs concerning due diligence in conflict-affected areas, and how the findings of such a process has resulted in these continued business activities and relationships...

In consideration of the above points and B4Ukraine’s Declaration, we request an urgent dialogue with J&J’s relevant senior management and staff to discuss the company’s ongoing activities and relationships in Russia, associated risks to the people of Ukraine and the company, and potential steps to prevent/mitigate these risks...