Kyiv put Swiss company Nestle on the Ukrainian list of "international war sponsors” as it continues running its businesses in Russia, the National Agency of Ukraine for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) said.
"Despite the fact that profits from the Russian market account for only a little more than two percent of Nestle's entire activity, the company has not yet decided to leave the [Russian] market,” the statement said.
Ukraine's list currently counts 45 companies from 15 countries of the world (mostly from China — 12 — and the USA — 7). They include Sinopec, CNPC, PepsiCo, Philip Morris, Alibaba, Unilever, Mars, etc.
Nestle (the company was founded in 1866) came to the Russian market at the end of the 19th century. In 1995, the company opened its representative office in Russia. There are several Nestle factories in Russia.
Last spring, when Western companies started leaving the Russian market, Nestle CEO Mark Schneider stated in response to calls to shut down business in Russian completely that access to products was a basic human right, a key value for the company.
Nestle restricted its activities in Russia. In particular, the company suspended investment and advertising in Russia, and stopped exports and imports of non-essential food products, such as Nespresso coffee and S. Pellegrino water.