This week marks 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Over this period, the world has witnessed the extraordinary resilience of Ukraine, driven by its citizens’ determination to safeguard their independent state. At the same time, Russia’s aggressive actions have been starkly exposed: over 35,000 civilian casualties, 3.6 million internally displaced people, 6 million refugees, and nearly 150,000 documented war crimes. This unthinkable but all too real evil has been partly underwritten by the tax payments of the Western corporations that have chosen to remain in Russia.
Despite widespread calls for divestment, only 440 (or 28%) of the 1,599 companies with Russian subsidiaries at the start of the full-scale invasion have fully severed ties by selling or liquidating assets in Russia. A further 26% have scaled back their Russia operations and announced plans to leave. Nonetheless, the vast majority remained, contributing not only substantial tax revenue—estimated at $20 billion annually—but also material resources and personnel, as required by Russian law.
