After a four-year absence following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, representatives of German businesses returned to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 4, underscoring how the continued presence of some German companies in Russia undermines Berlin’s support for Ukraine.
According to the forum’s programme, German participants 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 Holding, which operates a chain of nearly 100 hypermarkets across Russia.
According to available records, EkoNiva paid approximately €9.6 million in taxes and fees to the Russian government in 2025, while Globus contributed €20.5 million in profit tax in 2024.
According to the annual report of Globus Group’s Russian subsidiary, the company plans to resume its previously suspended expansion in the Russian market.
Why is this a problem?
Firstly, German companies operating in Russia are prolonging the war through their tax contributions to the Russian state budget, half of which was spent on the military in 2025.
This effectively means that while the German taxpayers have been supporting Ukraine, providing billions of euros in support, some major German companies — such as Ekosem-Agrar and Globus — have chosen to continue doing business with the regime, paying taxes and thereby indirectly supporting Russia’s war and undermining sanctions.
Additionally, companies operating in Russia are required by Russian law to help conscript employees into the Russian army as well as provide other resources when asked. This makes them potentially directly complicit in over 238,000 war crimes committed by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.
Yet Ekosem-Agrar and Globus are by no means alone in this regard. As of June 2026, 247 German companies — 53% of those active before the 2022 invasion — continue to operate in Russia. A further 132 (29%) have officially declared that they are completely shutting down, or have officially announced they are temporarily reducing operations in Russia. Only 83 (18%) have completed their exit through sales or liquidation of their operations.
Overall, German companies paid nearly $2 billion (€1.72 billion) in taxes to Russia between 2022 and 2024.
Among the top remainers are retail giant Metro AG, building materials group Knauf, cheese producer Hochland, medical technology company B. Braun, retail chain New Yorker, jam maker Zentis, NIVEA-maker Beiersdorf AG, pharmaceutical group Boehringer Ingelheim, equipment manufacturer Liebherr Appliances, and chocolate brands Ritter Sport, Krüger, August Storck KG, and many more.
At the same time, companies such as DIY retail chain OBI, automaker Volkswagen, consumer goods and adhesives manufacturer Henkel, fashion company Hugo Boss, engineering and technology supplier Bosch, sanitary ware manufacturer Cersanit, battery producer VARTA, paint and coatings manufacturer Caparol, and automotive technology company Continental, and many others have pulled out of Russia.
Key Recommendations
• The German government should support responsible business conduct by informing German businesses of an array of regulatory, legal, reputational, and financial risks associated with continued business operations in Russia and setting out options for a responsible exit.
• To support responsible investment, Germany should require all publicly listed companies to disclose their exposure to Russia, including the full taxes paid to the Russian government from 2022.
• At the same time, the German government should introduce deterrent measures such as financial penalties, restriction to access to contracts and exclusion from public procurement opportunities for the companies contributing to the Russian war economy.
Additional measures and insights are outlined in B4Ukraine’s latest report on corporate enablers of Russia’s war against Ukraine.