Vegetables, football, gas supplies – Russian business interests in NL

A Ukrainian flag hangs from an Amsterdam canal home window. Photograph: DutchNews.nl

A number of corporations within the Netherlands with Russian hyperlinks have been going public with their condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine, whereas the Dutch head of Gazprom Vitality within the Netherlands has stood down.

‘I’m very shocked by the lack of life in Ukraine,’ Sytse van Heijst stated in a word to power business web site Energeia.nl. ‘I can not reconcile these occasions with my operate as Gazprom Vitality nation head.’

Van Heijst had labored for the corporate since 2011 and was charged with persuading enterprise corporations to change to Gazprom as fuel provider. Greater than 100 native authorities within the Netherlands at the moment have contracts with Gazprom and a few have already began the method to interrupt them.

Zuidas regulation agency Houthoff, one of many largest authorized practices within the Netherlands, is ending its relationship with the Russian state.

‘Because of the acts of conflict by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, Houthoff has determined to terminate its relationship with the Russian Federation in addition to with related individuals and corporations. As well as, Houthoff won’t settle for any new directions from such events,’ the firm said in a statement.

The Financieele Dagblad says Russian clients account for 10% to fifteen% of the agency’s annual turnover.

Greens

The Russian proprietor of Dutch vegetable firm HAK has additionally gone public along with his opposition to Putin and has written to all 20,000 individuals who work for his corporations in Russia condemning the conflict.

‘I sincerely imagine that by declaring conflict on Ukraine, we now have all made a monstrous and irreparable mistake,’ Denis Shtengelov said in the letter.

Shtengelov, who has been main shareholder of the HAK model since August 2021, stated within the latter that his 25 years within the meals enterprise had no which means anymore. ‘ I see no different goal in life, as lengthy is that this conflict continues, besides to place a cease to it,’ he stated.

The Dutch firm additionally stated in an announcement on Thursday that it’s sending six lorries with meals to assist the aid effort in Ukraine.

Banking

In the meantime the Amsterdam Commerce Financial institution, a subsidiary of Russia’s Alpha Financial institution, has not commented immediately on occasions in Ukraine.

Its buying and selling title subsidiary FIBR has issued a statement saying ‘We’re deeply saddened by the tragic occasions in Ukraine and are satisfied that conflict can by no means be the reply,’ however stopped wanting condemning the Russian intervention.

‘As a regulated Dutch (European) financial institution, we act independently of all our shareholders, we’re managed individually and adjust to all sanctions towards Russia. We aren’t topic to any lately introduced EU or UK sanctions and the designation of our shareholders won’t have an effect on our enterprise,’ the financial institution stated.

ATB is situated within the WTC in Amsterdam. Alpha Financial institution has not been barred from accessing the Swift worldwide funds system however is on the EU sanctions checklist, as is its main shareholder, oligarch Mikail Fridman.

Soccer

Soccer is a well-liked funding amongst Russian enterprise tycoons and Arnhem soccer membership Vitesse is owned by Valeri Oyf who was reportedly born in Ukraine.

The membership itself has not commented on the invasion, however Russian nationwide Andrey Soloviev, who is among the three-man supervisory board alongside aspect Oyf and Dutchman Henk Parren, told broadcaster NOS that he was ‘personally, very involved about latest developments, like most individuals the world over.’

Media

In the meantime Dutch businessman Derk Sauer, who developed a media empire in Russia, together with the unbiased Moscow Occasions newspaper, told the FD he’s flying again to Russia to assist his workers go away.

‘There may be not solely an exodus in Ukraine. Russians who criticise the regime are additionally attempting to go away en masse,’ he stated. ‘I’m now seeking to see if we will transfer our editorial group to the Netherlands or Georgia.’