German companies "finance" the war in Ukraine - They have paid 1.7 billion euros in taxes to the Kremlin since the beginning of the conflict
German companies have paid almost 1.72 billion euros in taxes to the Kremlin since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, enough to finance 10,000 attack drones. More than half of the firms that operated in Russia before the war still remain there, according to a new report.
Legally, the roughly 250 German companies still active in Russia are not doing anything illegal. Many of them, such as cheese maker Hochland and plaster manufacturer Knauf, which produce fast-moving consumer goods, do not in principle violate EU regulations. However, critics believe that contributing to the Kremlin's war is an issue that needs to be addressed.
“Companies support Russia’s war economy through the taxes they pay,” explained one industry analyst. He argues that by not acting, they are directly contributing to the Russian economy, making themselves partly responsible for Moscow’s attacks.
According to a report by the Kiev School of Economics and B4Ukraine, international firms that continue to operate in Russia will pay at least 17 billion euros in taxes to the Russian state in 2024 alone. German companies are among them.
Since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the total has reached around 52 billion euros. According to B4Ukraine, Russia pays around 16,000 euros to recruit a person for military service in the war.
The 52 billion euros is roughly half of Russia's 2025 defense budget of 125 billion euros, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. That's enough to fund more than 1 million Russian soldiers. German companies are the Kremlin's second-largest taxpayers, after American firms.
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