“Corporation Active in Russia”: Milka Chocolate Bunnies in the Eyes of Ukrainian Activists

“Active Group in Russia”
Milka chocolate bunnies targeted by Ukrainian activists

March 25, 2024, 1:14 am

Listen to the article

Milka's chocolate bunny is at least second best among Germans. This Easter, Ukrainian activists are calling for a boycott of major supermarket chains. Despite the Russian war of aggression, US parent company Mondelez continues to operate in the country.

Just before Easter, Ukrainian activists in Germany have called on Rave and Edega to ban Milka chocolate from their shelves. This applies until Milka's US parent company Mondelez withdraws from the Russian market, according to a letter from Vitsche's organization, which is available to the managing directors of supermarket companies, to Germany's (RND) editorial network. Despite promising to reduce operations in Russia, Mondelez continues to operate three factories in the country. This letter should be sent to Rae and Edega this Monday.

Vitsche criticizes: “Companies like Mondelez covertly finance Russia's illegal war against Ukraine.” After the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the organization openly praised Rev and Edega for removing all Russian-made products from the shelves of their supermarkets. The letter continued: “As we believe Russia continues to commit war crimes in Ukraine, we hope for your support in showing Mondelez that morality has a place in business.”

On the “International War Supporters” list

The Ukrainian government's National Anti-Corruption Agency (NACP) added Milka's parent company, Mondelez, to its list of “international war supporters” last May. Apart from Milka, the food company with its international headquarters in Chicago includes brands such as Mandelez (formerly Kraft Foods), Oreo, Toblerone and Ritz.

According to the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), around 240 million chocolate bunnies are produced for Easter. In the ranking of the most popular rabbits, Milka is second with 19 percent, followed by Swiss manufacturer Lindt with 25 percent of Germans. Kinder/Ferrero's Chocolate Bunnies are third with 13 percent.