Bonduelle denies having sent food parcels to Russian soldiers
The French group Bonduelle formally denied Monday to Agence France-Presse (AFP) having distributed food parcels to Russian soldiers accompanied by a message to wish them a ” quick win “ in Ukraine. “We do not distribute packages to soldiers”assured the French group on Monday to AFP, referring to ” a fake “.
As of Saturday the group had ensured in a statement that “this information as well as the statements attributed to Bonduelle and its management [étaient] totally fake”. “The Bonduelle group continues its activities in Russia with the sole objective of ensuring access to food for the population in Russia and neighboring countries”, he reaffirmed on Saturday. He had, however, announced in March the suspension of “any investment project” in the country.
On Twitter, Internet users called this weekend for a boycott of the products of the specialist in canned and frozen vegetables, after the broadcast on the main Russian social network, VKontakte, of two photos showing packages bearing the Bonduelle logo. In these images a person in uniform is holding a box of cans of the brand, accompanied by a greeting card and this message in Russian: “Dear soldier, happy new year! We wish you the best and a quick victory! »
The group, on the other hand, confirmed its participation in the operation ” goodwill baskets “. Organized by the Russian food bank, it aims to collect products for the poorest and “has no connection with the army”, according to a Bonduelle spokeswoman. A post on the VKontakte account in the Russian city of Yartsevo, which has since been deleted, claimed that 10,000 packages had been sent to the soldiers.
Bonduelle also denies the remarks attributed in this publication to its general manager in Russia, Ekaterina Eliseeva, who would also have expressed her wish for a ” quick win “ in Ukraine. Based on an article in the Russian edition of Forbessome Internet users accuse her of having links with the FSB, the Russian security service, with which, according to the magazine, she trained as a translator in the 1990s.
Bonduelle is one of the few French companies that continued their activities in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, such as Leroy-Merlin and Auchan, or even Lactalis. The French group achieves 5% of its annual turnover (150 million euros) in Russia, where it has three factories and employs 1,000 people, as well as in neighboring countries, such as Georgia or Armenia.
According to the list drawn up by the Yale School of Managementthere are still about twenty French companies in Russia.