B4Ukraine
@b4ukraine
We are a global coalition of civil society organizations driven by a common goal: to block access to the economic resources behind Russian aggression. b4ukraine.org
Every day, somewhere in Russia, someone cracks open a Belgian beer. A beer that is proudly Belgian, the jewel in the crown of the world's largest brewer, is still being produced in Russia. Still keeping the lights on in 11 breweries linked to a joint venture in which AB InBev retains a 50% stake.
US lawmakers, Rep. @repschneider.bsky.social and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, introduced a bipartisan bill that would prevent US firms and individuals from claiming foreign tax credits for taxes paid to the Kremlin. Thank you, Congressmen, for your consistent leadership in support of Ukraine! 💙 💛
The EU deserves credit for its 21st sanctions package—but it also contains one dangerous exemption. A Greek carve-out allows shipping magnate George Prokopiou's Dynagas to continue transporting Russian LNG to third countries. This exemption must be allowed to expire—not become a permanent loophole.
With new Ministers taking office today, the UK has an opportunity to go further in cutting off the revenues that fuel Russia's war. Our new policy paper sets out practical steps the government can take to make it happen: bit.ly/4gLAWuJ @razomwestand.bsky.social @creacleanair.bsky.social
Shameless. Two companies appear to have captured EU member state policy so effectively that national governments are now putting corporate interests ahead of Ukraine's — and Europe's — security.
In the coming days, the Irish gov will publish the findings of its inquiry into the Aughinish plant. It is naïve to believe Irish-made alumina isn't ending up in weapons killing Ukrainian children. As PM Martin said, there are no easy decisions—but there are right ones. The time to act is now.
"We pay taxes in Russia that helps the war" When Western CEOs make statements like this one from the Mondelez boss, they do so because they operate in an environment of impunity facing no consequences from governments, write B4Ukraine's Bennett Freeman and Nataliya Popovych for @kyivindependent.com.
A Russia-linked LNG tanker has arrived at Denmark’s Fayard shipyard, making it the first of up to 6 specialised Arc7 vessels that could be serviced in Europe before the ban takes effect in 2027. bit.ly/4wqN8FW
Many Finnish brands are owned by foreign firms that still do biz in Russia. 🟦 Finlandia vodka is owned by Coca-Cola HBC, Coca-Cola's European bottling partner. Its Russian unit changed its name but continues to operate. 🟦 Piltti baby food is owned by Nestlé, which still operates plants in Russia.
In an op-ed for Sustainable Views (@financialtimes.com), Nina Prusac (B4Ukraine) argues that a responsible exit from Russia hinges on two things: it is time-bound and rights-based. In the context of Russia’s war on Ukraine, delayed withdrawal is no longer neutral, she argues. tinyurl.com/59uxce9t
Analysis compiled by ESCU traces a credible supply chain linking Irish alumina to components of the Kh-101 cruise missile, which has been used extensively by the Russian Air Force in strikes against Ukrainian civilians. We call on the EU to ban Alumina exports to Russia. tinyurl.com/yh472fs2
Denmark's Fayard is the last EU shipyard still servicing the tankers that transport billions of euros worth of Russian LNG. Fayard should refuse all work on Yamal LNG vessels and publicly commit not to service them in 2026. b4ukraine.org/what-we-do/fayard-briefing @razomwestand.bsky.social
Russia’s energy company Novatek urgently needs more tankers for Arctic LNG 2 — a flagship project hit by US and EU sanctions and critical to Russia’s plans to expand Arctic gas exports. Novatek is now reportedly in talks to acquire LNG tankers from Japan’s MOL and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean.
Just three days after Mondelez’s CEO admitted that the taxes the company pays in Russia help fund the war, Russian drones hit a Mondelez plant in Ukraine, injuring two people. Mondelez's CEO and ESG team should read our new report on responsible exit and use it as a guide for action: bit.ly/49gx3tf
Speaking to the BBC, Mondelez CEO openly acknowledged that the taxes they pay in Russia help fund the war and insisted that staying there was the “right decision.” This is more than a shameless admission. It is evidence of ongoing corporate complicity in Russia’s war and the atrocities it enables.
🛑 Reports that Japanese shipowner MOL & South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha are about to sell ice-class LNG tankers to Novatek are deeply alarming. Such a deal would stab Ukraine in the back, undermine US sanctions and weaken planned EU measures. ‼️ Supporters of Ukraine must act to prevent this sale.
A major new ECFR poll shows that Europeans have learned the lessons of depending on Russian oil/gas. Even as a new energy crunch bears down on living standards, they are resolute in opposing purchases of fossil fuels from Russia, with majorities across the continent prioritising renewable energy.
American short seller Grizzly Research has published a report alleging that Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli maintains “close relationships with Russia” that “pose a threat to Western national security.” The report’s central allegation focuses on Pirelli’s Kirov plant, which Grizzly claims shares
We call on the German government to do more to urge companies to cut ties with Russia, including withholding public money from companies which continue doing business in or with the aggressor state.
This effectively means that while German taxpayers have been supporting Ukraine, providing billions of euros in support, some major German companies have chosen to continue doing business with the regime, paying taxes and thereby indirectly supporting Russia’s war and undermining sanctions.
German participants in the forum include: ◼️ Stefan Dürr, CEO of Ekosem-Agrar AG, the German holding company of EkoNiva Group, one of Russia’s largest agricultural producers, and ◼️ Thomas Bruch, the managing director of GLOBUS.de, which operates a chain of nearly 100 hypermarkets across Russia.
Representatives of German businesses returned to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum on June 4 after a four-year absence following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, underscoring how the continued presence of some German companies in Russia undermines Berlin's support for Ukraine. @vitsche.bsky.social
The EU must rethink how sanctions are designed and enforced. In the short term, it should help Member States improve designations and enforcement. In the long term, it should consider a centralized EU enforcement body with a Union-wide “helicopter view” for more coordinated action. bit.ly/4u6m2lT
🚨 Fayard A/S, a Danish Shipyard, May Be About to Give Russia’s Arctic LNG Fleet One Last European Repair Window – New Urgewald Analysis in the @financialtimes.com Today bit.ly/4dHEfBi
German retailer Metro AG has increased investment in its Russian stores: in the first half of the financial year, it rose by 21% compared with the same period last year, reaching €17M, according to the group’s report. In the same period, the retailer’s revenue in Russia totalled €1.4B, up 12%.
Reliance Industries, an Indian conglomerate controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, shipped refinery catalysts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to Russia during its war on Ukraine, according to data from the @dekleptocracy.bsky.social vetted by @newsweek.com. Full story: bit.ly/49QKvnK
🆕 A new report released today by B4Ukraine defines what a responsible exit from Russia actually looks like. The paper was developed in collaboration with @business-humanrights.org, Essex Human Rights Centre, Kyiv School of Economics, and @investforrights.bsky.social. Full report: bit.ly/49gx3tf
At least £44mn every month for Russia’s war chest — the likely price of the UK government’s recent decision to continue allowing imports of jet fuel and diesel refined from Russian crude in India and other third countries.
🚨 Scandal New revelations from a NDR.de investigation show that Germany’s state-owned firm SEFE actively pushed to restart Russian LNG deliveries in 2023—despite Russia’s war against Ukraine and after a year-long halt following Kremlin sanctions. Egbert Laege of SEFE and Leonid Mikhelson of Novatek
A Russian Kh-101 cruise missile that struck an apartment block in Kyiv on Thursday, killing 24 people and injuring 48, was manufactured in Q2 2026 using Western components, the @financialtimes.com reports, citing Ukrainian authorities.