The anti-corruption agency calculated that the Russian branch of Auchan paid $167 million to the aggressor country’s budget in 2020 alone.
The National Anti-Corruption Agency (NAPC) has included the French company Auchan, which owns a chain of hypermarkets in Ukraine, in its list of international sponsors of the war. The reason for this decision was that the company did not close its business in Russia after the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This was reported by the NAPC’s press service on February 23.
“During Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the company refused to boycott the terrorist state and did not close its business in the Russian Federation,” the agency said.
The publication drew attention to the journalistic investigations of Insider, Le Monde and Bellingcat, which since the beginning of the war, the Russian subsidiary of Auchan allegedly supplied the Russian army in the occupied Ukrainian territory under the guise of humanitarian aid. aid and also helped the Russian military registration and recruitment offices recruit mobilized members from among their own staff.
“The phrase ‘Send you to the shop, how can I send you to die’ has never been more accurate. Because some companies are actually bringing death and suffering by financing the war against Ukraine, while the terrorist state continues to work in the Russian Federation. And pay your taxes there,” the written statement said. statements included:
NAPC has calculated that the Russian market for Auchan is second only to France in terms of sales. In 2020 alone, the Russian branch of the company paid $ 167 million to the Russian budget. This amount is equivalent to the cost of 15 Su-25 aircraft, 42 tanks, 222 Caliber missiles and 477,000 AK-74 assault rifles.
“We cannot allow Russia to continue to receive these funds, which then killed Ukrainians,” said NAPC head Alexander Novikov.
Recall that on February 18, the company’s management reacted to an investigation by journalists into the company’s activities in Russia. In the official statement, it was stated that no fundraising was organized by the employees of the company in favor of the Russian army.
Source: Focus
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