Heineken, Unilever Slammed For Staying In Russia

More than 1,000 major companies pledged to leave Russia after Vladimir Putin launched his devastating war in Ukraine, but some well-known firms stand accused by researchers of violating their pledge, Matt Egan reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: Heineken, Unilever, Philip Morris and Oreo maker Mondelez, are being accused of breaking their promise to pull out of Russia.

Not every company on the list left, but more than 1,000 exited. That unprecedented corporate exodus, championed and chronicled by Yale professor Jeff Sonnenfeld, dealt a serious financial and symbolic blow to Moscow and the Russian economy.

Now, as Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine blows past the 500-day mark, Sonnenfeld and his team are naming and shaming a slew of companies they accuse of breaking their promises, including Heineken, Unilever, Philip Morris and Oreo maker Mondelez.

The research, shared exclusively with CNN, is based on whistleblowers, on-the-ground experts, students operating inside Russia, corporate documents and news reports.

“These companies are breaking their promises. They are functioning as wartime profiteers,” Sonnenfeld told CNN in an interview. “It’s beyond disappointing. It’s shameful and unethical.”

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