National anti-corruption agency invites CEOs of international companies on war sponsor list to visit Ukraine

The National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP) has sent letters to companies that have been included in the Ukrainian list of international war sponsors.

The agency offers the CEOs of these companies to visit Ukraine, see the consequences of Russian aggression with their own eyes, and discuss the exit of their businesses from Russia, Rubryka reports.

"If someone thinks that the war is somewhere far away, then it is not. This war affects everyone, and the whole world feels its consequences," said NACP chief Oleksandr Novikov. "We want to clearly show international businesses where and what exactly the taxes they pay to a terrorist state go to. That is why we invite the management of companies from the list of war sponsors to Ukraine. We are ready to demonstrate the horror Russia has brought to our land and continue to do so." 

The letter also states that NACP is open to dialogue about the strategies of the companies on the list of war sponsors regarding exit from Russia. The agency hopes to hear relevant public statements by companies condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine, to see corporate decisions on business activity in the Russian Federation (for example, reduction of activities or exit from the market).

NACP notes that such an initiative is fully in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business Activity and Human Rights, which responsible enterprises must observe. According to them, in order to assess human rights risks, business enterprises should, among other things, engage in meaningful consultations with potentially affected groups and other relevant stakeholders (Principle 18).

The agency will remind that the list of international sponsors of the war on the "War and Sanctions" portal is a tool introduced by the National Agency Corruption Prevention to encourage international companies that continue to work in the Russian Federation to leave Russia, pay taxes there, and support the occupying forces with goods and services (as in the case of preferential bank loans for the Russian military). All this creates in the eyes of the world community the illusion of "normality" of cooperation with the aggressor.