Only 9% of almost 1,500 global companies left Russian market - Ukraine’s presidential advisor

Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, shared the information on his Telegram channel, on February 11.

"Almost a year of war. And only 9% of nearly 1,500 global companies have left the Russian market," the post reads.

Among the companies that remained on the Russian market are METRO, Leroy Merlin, Auchan, Nestle, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Bayer, Acer, Alibaba, CloudFlare, Societe Generale, Credit Suisse, Lenovo, Asus, Cersanit, etc. 

Podolyak also noted that some Western banks have made excessive profits in Russia during the year of full-scale war. Raiffeisen increased its profits in Russia by 313%. In 2022, the profit of the Russian branch amounted to EUR 474 million, the largest amount among its branches in southeast Europe. 

"The corporate income tax in Russia is 20%. So, Raiffeisen paid EUR 94.8 million to the Russian treasury in the last financial year only in this tax. The amount of other fees is much higher. That is, this is a tax on war, on the killing of Ukrainians," he said.

In particular, he added that Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention recently recognized an American corporation as an international sponsor of the war. The corporation owns such subsidiaries and brands as Gillette, Fairy, Tide, Ariel, Lenor, Mr. Proper, Pampers, Always, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Old Spice, Hugo Boss, Max Factor, etc.

Not only did they not leave the Russian market, but they continue to operate a household chemicals plant, which is the world's largest manufacturer of detergents for P&G, and a plant for the production of Gillette blades and shaving machines.

By operating in Russia, international companies pay taxes to the Russian state budget, which are used to manufacture products for its military-industrial complex. The total annual revenue of these 1,200+ companies in Russia is almost USD 290 billion, which is a fifth part of Russia's GDP. 

"Not leaving the Russian market during a year of full-scale war is not an accident, but a conscious position. Let's not forget about the level of corruption in Russia. Every business fills the pockets of Putin and his entourage, the instigators of the aggressive war in the center of Europe. Passive inaction is also a crime. By replenishing the Russian budget with billions of dollars, they prevent us from ending the war quickly and in the right way," Podolyak emphasized.