Ukraine calls for boycott of int'l firms continuing to work in Russia

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine on Monday called for a boycott on various international companies that have maintained operations in Russia despite the war between the two countries.

"International companies which remain working in Russia are directly funding Russian war crimes and genocide of Ukrainians. I reiterate my call on their customers and partners to boycott these brands until they stop making blood profits and pull out of Russia," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, according to a tweet by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The tweet included a picture that contained the logos of various international Western companies that it said continue to operate in Russia, with Nestle, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, Philips, Siemens, Bayer, and Unilever among them.

It also included several international lenders and insurance firms such as ING, UniCredit, Aegon, HSBC, and Aviva.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, imposing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

Major international companies have since decided to boycott Russia or have suspended their operations in the country, including H&M, IKEA, Volkswagen, Nike, Apple, Volvo, Daimler, Netflix, Disney, MSC, Mango and Maersk.