B4Ukraine

Last month, 14 foreign companies finalized their exit from the Russian market through sales or liquidation of their operations. According to monitoring by the Kyiv School of Economics, the most recent cases of completed exits include the Austrian injection molding machine manufacturer ENGEL, the American courier delivery services company FedEx, the Irish nutrition group Glanbia, the American networking equipment provider Juniper Networks, the German aviation services company Lufthansa Technik, the French open-source software developer Open Cascade, part of Capgemini , the Norwegian IT services provider Crayon, the German machine tool manufacturer EMAG Group, the American oil and gas processing company Exterran, the German airport operator Fraport AG, the Mexican automotive components manufacturer Nemak, the Finnish construction solutions provider Peikko Group Corporation, the Spanish bathroom solutions company Roca, and the German wholesale retailer SELGROS Deutschland. Over 2,000 foreign firms continue business operations in Russia, while only 467 have fully exited and stopped engaging in war financing through tax contributions. Any company remaining in Russia runs a risk of asset resizes and being complicit in Russia's rapidly growing number of war crimes committed in Ukraine. B4Ukraine calls on all remaining firms to cut their losses and withdraw from the market of the aggressor state. #ExitRussia #StopFundingTheWar

Russland griff heute eine ukrainische Großstadt mit Gleitbomben an. Terror aus der Luft auf Zivilist*innen. Dieses Video zeigt Tote und Verletzte auf den Straßen von Saporischschja. Mindestens 13 Tote bisher. Die Frage, die wir uns stellen, sollte nicht sein: „Helfen wir?“ sondern „was können wir noch tun, um Russland zu stoppen?“ Unser Anspruch sollte nicht "wir werden die Ukraine so lange wie nötig unterstützen" sondern "mit allem, was nötig ist, um Russland zu stoppen."

The Finnish Navy has launched a robust maritime operation in the Gulf of Finland, systematically detaining tankers suspected of sanctions violations, as well as other vessels linked to Moscow, according to EU Today. As of January 4, more than 20 vessels were reportedly under scrutiny, with several potentially facing long-term detention. These measures follow the January 2 arrest of the Eagle S, a vessel suspected of sabotage, including cutting undersea cables. The operation, conducted without formal public announcements, marks a significant escalation in regional maritime security. Bravo, #Finland!

🚨 A major hit to Russian revenues could be on the way! Reuters reports the Biden administration is preparing a “substantial” sanctions package targeting: 🛢️ Two Russian oil companies 🚢 100+ tankers & oil traders 📄 Russian insurance firms, and more. As Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: #Sanctions work—but only when enforced effectively and loopholes are closed. #DefundRussia #StandWithUkraine

When Trump sits down to negotiate with Putin, sanctions will be 'an extraordinarily valuable chip,' said Elina Ribakova, vice president for foreign policy at the Kyiv School of Economics, in a comment for a recent The New York Times article. Jeffrey Schott, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, pointed out that Moscow was able to sell too much gas and oil at too high a price. “Sanctions have been applied with one arm tied behind your back,” he noted. Piecemeal sanctions and the often listless enforcement of them have also made the economic noose around Russia’s neck looser than it could have been, Schott and other critics say. Still, Sergei Guriev, a Russian economist who fled the country in 2013, warned that without sanctions, Russia might have won the war by now. There is widespread agreement that the most effective Russian sanctions have been those involving the global financial system, an arena where the United States can exert unique power.

What a disgrace! AstraZeneca, Britain’s most valuable public company, has made about £45 million in payments to doctors and healthcare organisations in Russia since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to The Times. A significant part of the money was reportedly spent on planning or conducting studies and trials in Russia but sums were also spent on consultancy fees, donations, grants and sponsorship, such as hosting scientific events. #AstraZeneca #ExitRussia #StopFundingTheWar

Putin has given a local company control of AB InBev’s Russian unit, preventing the world’s biggest brewer from exiting the country. The case of AB InBev's business expropriation demonstrates once again that no foreign company’s assets are safe in Russia's increasingly hostile and chaotic environment. After almost three years of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is now imperative to stop business dealings with and in Russia. While asset seizures pose a threat to companies choosing to exit, the risks of remaining complicit in human rights abuses, along with potential legal and financial liabilities and reputational damage, far outweigh the loss of assets. In cases of asset seizures, affected companies can consider writing off their assets and seeking international legal remedies. #ABInBev brands in Russia include #Bud, #Spaten, #VelkopopovickýKozel, #Hoegaarden, #ElCapulco, #Klinskoe, #StellaArtois, etc

Member of the European Parliament Karin Karlsbro and many journalists have criticized Benjamin Ingrosso, one of Sweden’s most popular singers, for his advertising collaboration with Marabou, a chocolate brand owned by US snacking giant Mondelēz International, which still operates in Russia. “What do you think when you advertise for Marabou? A company that has chosen to stay in Russia and contribute to Putin’s war chest,” Karlsbro asked, as reported by Aftonbladet. “I wonder if you would like to join me the next time I go to Ukraine to witness firsthand how the Ukrainian population is suffering from Putin’s war, and how your advertisement is also helping to finance it. Are you in?” Last year, several Swedish companies and organizations decided to boycott #Marabou products due to its parent company’s continued operations in Russia. Among those who stopped purchasing from #Mondelez were SJ Group, SAS - Scandinavian Airlines, the Swedish Armed Forces, Strawberry hotels, and the Swedish Football Association. “Anyone who didn’t stop supporting Marabou after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 should now take the opportunity to reconsider,” said Lisa Bjurwald, who also criticized Ingrosso in her article for VLT. Journalist Patrik Oksanen remarked: “As an artist, you have to think about what you want to support in the most serious security policy period since the Second World War.” Oksanen has called on #Ingrosso to donate the earnings from his Marabou/Mondelez partnership “to Ukraine’s struggle for survival and freedom.” Aftonbladet journalist Jonna Sima Bank accused Ingrosso of helping Mondelez to “warwash” their chocolate, while her colleague, Aftonbladet’s political editor-in-chief Anders Lindberg, stated that Ingrosso should apologize for the advertisement. PR strategist Edit Künstlicher remarked in the Resumé magazine that “Marabou is using perhaps #Sweden's most brilliant star to wash its dirty laundry.” #ExitRussia #StopFundingTheWar

#BMW admitted that, despite EU sanctions, it sold over 100 luxury cars to Russian buyers, confirming a Business Insider report. BMW stated it had fired staff involved in the illegal trade. We urge int'l firms & governments to take proactive measures to prevent such incidents. Businesses have a responsibility to support efforts to isolate Russia. Without holding the aggressor accountable, achieving global peace and security will remain impossible.

Russian liquefied natural gas imports to the EU have reached a record high this year, despite the bloc's efforts to reduce dependence on gas from Russia. As of mid-December, Europe imported 16.5mn tonnes of Russian LNG, surpassing last year’s total of 15.18mn tonnes, according to the Financial Times, citing Kpler data. This situation is outrageous and unacceptable. We urge the EU to fully ban Russian #LNG imports in the next sanctions package.