Unilever's decision to remain in the Russian market is facing fresh criticism from anti-war campaigners, particularly after the consumer-goods giant said it would comply with the country's conscription laws.
When Russia invaded Ukraine early last year, most Western companies rushed to pack up their wares and make a hasty exit from the Russian market. Those that remained have been the subject of heavy criticism from opponents of the war, and some people on social media are now calling for a boycott of Unilever.
The company, whose brands include Dove soap, Domestos bleach and Magnum ice-cream, employs 3,000 people across four manufacturing sites in the country. It confirmed in a statement earlier in July that it would comply with the Russian law requiring it to "permit the conscription of employees should they be called."
The company effectively has no choice as Russian law allows businesses operating in Russia no say on whether their employees can be called up or not.
Responding to the criticism in a letter to campaign group B4Ukraine, which advocates a withdrawal of Western firms operating in Russia, Unilever's Chief Business Operations and Supply Chain Officer Reginaldo Ecclissato wrote in the statement: "We would like to reiterate that Unilever absolutely condemns the war in Ukraine as a brutal, senseless act by the Russian state and we continue to join the international community in calling for stability and peace in the region."
But he defended the company's decision to remain operating in Russia, as exiting would amount to "abandoning our people and brands."
He said: "None of the options open to them are desirable," but argued that staying in the Russian market with constraints on their operations "remains the best option, both to avoid the risk of our business ending up in the hands of the Russian state, either directly or indirectly, and to help protect our people. We will of course continue to keep this position under close review."
Addressing the law on conscription, he wrote: "We are aware of the law requiring any company operating in Russia to permit the conscription of employees should they be called. We always comply with all the laws of the countries we operate in."
Despite efforts to mollify Unilever's loudest critics by explaining its reasons for remaining in the Russian market, opponents of Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine were quick to double down.
Calls to boycott the company's brands have been growing louder in recent days. The hashtag #boycottUnilever has been gaining momentum, with many people citing corporate greed.
Adding its support to the boycott campaign, the Ukrainian Solidarity Project group tweeted: "One day you're manufacturing ice cream, the next you're gearing up for the front line in Ukraine. You can't say @Unilever isn't offering its employees varied work experience."
Ukraine recently placed Unilever on its "International Sponsors of War" list, alongside French cosmetics company Yves Rocher and Chinese electronics company Xiaomi.
A Ukrainian government website claims that "in 2022, the share of Russian business accounted for 1.4% of Unilever's turnover and 2% of its net profit."
Unilever said in its statement: "We have sought to be transparent in our thinking on this matter, because for companies such as Unilever, which have a physical presence in the country, exiting is not straightforward".
