15:57 14 May 2023
Unilever did not keep its promise
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global corporations, one after another, declared that they would withdraw from Russia. Just over a year later, it turned out that not everyone kept their promises, including Unilever. According to the Dutch investigative journalism portal Follow the Money (FTM), the company's profit in Russia increased from €57 million in 2021 to €110 million last year, citing data from the Russian Chamber of Commerce. Advertising spending in the country was also higher, reaching €259 million, compared to €234 million the previous year.
FTM reports that the company's Russian cosmetics factory is still open and products such as Magnum and Cornetto ice cream are still being sold.
"International companies that still operate in Russia directly finance war crimes and genocide," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba last fall said, mentioning Unilever alongside companies such as Phillips, ING, and Aegon.
