Letter to Legrand regarding its ongoing business activities in Russia
...In a statement early this month (November 3, 2022), Legrand submitted that the company has little impact on Russia.9 However, according to recent analysis of publicly available data, Legrand remains an important player in the Russian market, holding “leading positions in wiring devices, cable management and modular circuit breakers and, potentially, other important verticals. Given Legrand’s products are of mass use, they could potentially be used by the Russian military (there are at least seven military bases10 in Ulyanovsk, where Legrand has factories) and Russian state-owned companies.”11 In 2007, Legrand acquired a c.80% stake in Ulyanovsk-based producer of electrical equipment JSC “Kontaktor” (as per Vedomosti) for an estimated $10 25m.12 JSC Kontaktor’s key customer is “Vostsibugol" LLC, coal company, a part of EN+ Group owned by Oleg Deripaska, sanctioned by the UK and the EU in March 2022 and April 2022, respectively.13
These activities risk enabling and financing Russia’s violations of IHL and human rights law during the ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine and violating Legrand’s own stated commitment to corporate social responsibility. It remains to be seen how directly Legrand will be impacted by the partial mobilization and the heightened legal, regulatory, operational, and financial risks associated with companies being required to provide direct support to the internationally sanctioned Russian military...
With the above points in mind and in consideration of B4Ukraine’s Declaration, we request an urgent dialogue with Legrand’s relevant senior management and staff to discuss the company’s ongoing operations and relationships in Russia, associated risks to the people of Ukraine and the company, and potential steps to prevent/mitigate these risks...