Disney and Sony bank £13.5m from Russian business, 5 January 2025

Disney and Sony have benefited from £13.5m in payments from a Russian joint venture since the invasion of Ukraine, despite suspending operations in the country.

A Moscow-based company responsible for marketing and distributing films in Russia made by the two studios paid out a £13.1m dividend in March 2022, one month after Russia invaded Ukraine. A further £440,000 was paid between July and December 2023, according to analysis of recently-filed accounts.

The money was paid by Moscow-based Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing (WDSSPR) to Eastern European Holdings (EEH), a company jointly-owned by Disney and Sony’s Columbia Pictures division and based in London.

The dividends resulted from business that took place before the studios announced they were putting their operations in Russia on hold. Neither company has ongoing commercial operations in the country and there is no suggestion they have acted improperly or breached any sanctions.

Nevertheless, the timing of the payment raises awkward questions for the two Hollywood studios.

Disney announced on March 10, 2022 that it was pausing all business operations in Russia in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of that year. Sony followed suit a day later. One week after that, EEH received its £13.1m dividend from WDSSPR, which was subsequently paid out to Sony and Disney.

The revelation that the two companies have received millions of pounds from a Russian joint venture since the outbreak of the war comes at a time of continued scrutiny of Western business operations in the country.

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Sony and Disney declined to comment.