Russia: Western consumer goods companies accused of enabling war economy by paying taxes & assisting mobilisation
Beloved brands or international war sponsors? How largest consumer brands enable russia's war, 11 June 2024
After more than two years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine, there are still over 2,000 international companies that chose to remain, contributing to Russia’s increasingly militarized economy via corporate taxes and providing material support, including mobilization of employees, as per requirements of Russia’s Partial Mobilization Order.
Fast-moving consumer goods firms (FMCGs) comprise the second-highest revenue-generating and tax-paying sector in Russia, after alcohol and tobacco, making a significant contribution to the country’s war economy...
The FMCG sector includes major brands such as Mondelez ($1.4 billion in revenue in Russia in 2023), PepsiCo ($4.2 billion), Mars ($2.9 billion), Procter & Gamble ($1.8 billion), Nestle ($2.8 billion), and Unilever ($700 million). All of the six firms have been named “International Sponsors of War” by the Ukrainian government for their significant contribution to Russia’s war economy...
Dr. Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak, President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America — Illinois Division, stated, “It is time to cease all business operations in Russia and stop providing financial resources to a brutal regime whose army has committed over 130,000 war crimes and continues to exterminate Ukrainians, especially our women and children. We cannot stay silent about corporate war profiteering while our friends and families are being brutalized and killed.”