Ukraine designates Unilever as 'international sponsor of war'

Ukraine's National Corruption Prevention Agency (NACP) added British corporation Unilever to the "international sponsors of war" list for not exiting Russia.

Despite promises to suspend imports and exports of its products to and from Russia at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Unilever continues to operate in Russia.

According to the report, the corporation paid about $50 million in taxes to the Russian state budget in 2022. Unilever Russia's profit increased from $61 million in 2021 to more than $117 million last year.

More than 3,000 people work for Unilever in Russia, the anti-corruption agency wrote. In 2022, Russian business accounted for 1.4% of the corporation's turnover and 2% of its net profit, which grew by 24.9% compared to 2021, amounting to 8 billion euros.

"We have included this company in the list of international sponsors of war because their hundreds of millions in tax contributions to the Russian budget help to finance the war against Ukraine, and in this way may even indirectly finance some Russian mercenary groups," said the NACP chief Oleksandr Novikov.

"Unilever must leave Russia now, or history will remember its complicity in this war."

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of food, personal- and home care products. It owns over 400 brands and sells products in more than 190 countries, including Ukraine.

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