More than two weeks have passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From the outset, we have utterly condemned this brutal aggression against a sovereign country. Our hearts ache as we see the devastation and death affecting innocent civilians, including children. Thousands have been killed or wounded, millions are fleeing the country, and the humanitarian situation of those who stay is deteriorating by the hour. We stand by the people of Ukraine who can fully count on our solidarity and support.
 

Attacks like these demand a very clear stance. And we have been very clear about ours. Here is what we are doing:
 

Assisting our colleagues and supporting the people of Ukraine

We continue to prioritize the safety of our 700 colleagues in Ukraine and will continue to provide them and their families with financial aid, shelter, and evacuation assistance. In response to the humanitarian crisis, Bayer has established a 3 Million Euro Disaster Relief Fund and provided both monetary assistance and donations of health products like antibiotics to help up to 27,000 Ukrainian patients.

Our employees continue to respond generously - donating more than 900,000 EUR so far through a Red Cross relief campaign, which the company will be matching.

Furthermore, Bayer colleagues have set up a platform where employees can offer housing to colleagues from Ukraine and their families who may need temporary shelter while country organizations and employee-led initiatives are organizing local volunteering campaigns.

Our seeds and agricultural inputs stand ready for the planting season for farmers in Ukraine and we hope that the Ukrainian farmers will be able to secure the 2022 harvest. We are prepared to support them as the window for planting is closing in only a few weeks.

Stopping all non-essential business in Russia and Belarus, while ensuring continued access to health and agriculture products

As a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Bayer stopped all spending in Russia and Belarus that is not related to supplying essential products in health and agriculture. This includes

• Suspending all advertising and other promotional activities.
• Halting capital investment projects indefinitely.
• Not pursuing any new business opportunities.

We have also heard voices calling for a complete stop of delivery of all our products to Russia and Belarus. We understand these concerns as the war raises moral and ethical issues for every company.

Our position is that this senseless war has already taken many lives. As a Life Science company, we have an ethical obligation – in every country we operate in. Withholding essential health and agriculture products from the civilian populations – like cancer or cardiovascular treatments, health products for pregnant women and children as well as seeds to grow food – would only multiply the war’s ongoing toll on human life.

In a recent statement on the invasion of Ukraine, the G7 agricultural ministers made clear that any increase in food price levels and volatility in international markets could threaten food security and nutrition at a global scale and would especially affecting the most vulnerable. By supplying farmers around the globe, we want to support protecting food supply chains from further disruption and help to prevent what could be an unprecedented food crisis.

For the 2022 growing season, we have already provided essential agricultural inputs to farmers in Russia to alleviate additional pressure on the global food system. Nevertheless, we will closely monitor the political situation and decide about supplies for 2023 and beyond at a later stage, depending on Russia stopping its unprovoked attacks on Ukraine and returning to a path of international diplomacy and peace.

These are difficult times that put us to the test, both, emotionally and ethically. At Bayer, we will do everything in our power to live up to our responsibility to reduce the suffering caused by this terrible war. This is what our vision “Health for all, Hunger for none” calls for.

The situation remains volatile, and we will continue to monitor developments and evolve or adjust our response as necessary. As we do so, we stand with all those calling for an immediate end to this war, and we hope and pray for peace to return to Ukraine – and our world.