The second-largest privately held business in America with $115 billion annual revenue, the industrial conglomerate is one of those who continue to operate manufacturing plants in Russia and sell products throughout Russia while remaining silent on Russia’s constant assault on Ukrainian cities.
Wichita-based Koch, Kansas, has many business lines in Russia and is one of the almost 40 companies that are “digging in” to stop or curb business in Russia according to a count by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Yale University professor, and his research team.
Guardian Industries, a Koch subsidiary, has two glass production plants in Russia. These plants employ approximately 600 people. According to Koch, 15 employees are employed in Russia by Guardian Industries, a subsidiary of Koch.
“While Guardian’s Russian business is a small part of Koch Industries, we won’t walk away from our workers there or hand over these fabrication facilities to the Russian Government so that it can operate and benefit,” Dave Robertson (president and COO) of Koch Industries stated Wednesday in a statement.
Robertson called Russia’s attack against Ukraine “an insult to humanity” and said it “violates our company’s values and principles”. He also stated that the company provided financial assistance for workers from Ukraine and other aid to affected people in neighbouring countries.
He said, “To be precise, Koch companies comply with all applicable sanctions and laws and regulations governing the relationships and transactions in all countries where they operate.” “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep you informed as necessary.”
Argument against sanctions
Meanwhile, Charles Koch, the right-wing billionaire and chairman of Koch Industries, supports broad economic sanctions against Russia. According to Popular Information (a left-leaning newsletter edited by Judd Legum), these groups are opposed by Charles Koch.
Stand Together, a Charles Koch-founded nonprofit, supports targeted sanctions against Russia as a response to Russia’s immoral invasion in Ukraine. We believe sanctions are a legitimate tool for statecraft. But, broad-based economic sanctions seldom achieve the desired policy outcomes,” Dan Caldwell (Vice President for Foreign Policy), tweeted Monday.
Caldwell suggested previously that the U.S. should remain neutral in the Ukraine conflict.
Popular Information reports that Will Ruger, president and CEO of the American Institute for Economic Research (or AIER), is sending a similar message. Ruger stated that the United States could and should do very little to help Ukraine in a March 2, podcast with Reason Magazine (a libertarian publication supported by Charles Koch). “Ukraine doesn’t matter for America’s security nor our prosperity.”
Ruger also shared a Reason video titled “Why Russian sanctions will fail” on social media.
Concerned Veterans for America is another Charles Koch- supported group. They also warn against sanctions against Russia. The group has sent a petition urging to “restraint in America’s response to Russia’s immoral invasion” of Ukraine. … We should avoid any actions that could further aggravate the situation or have detrimental repercussions for American prosperity.
