Koch Industries Refuses to Leave Russia, Shows Opposition to Sanctions
When you get down into the weeds of the conspiracy world, you begin to find that a great many within that community have the same beliefs: That there is an echelon of wealth far beyond what we even recognize, and that those with that wealth are possibly pulling the strings of the global economy in ways that we may have difficulty fathoming.
These are the Rockefeller’s and Koch’s of the world, whose long-inherited and functionally infinite wealth affords them the means to rule the world.
At least, that’s the sort of thing that you find when you’re scrolling those particular corners of the internet, and a stunning development in the worldwide reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have some of these folks’ ears perking up.
As hundreds of major U.S. companies exit Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Koch Industries is staying put.
The industrial conglomerate — the second-largest privately owned business in America, with $115 billion in annual revenue — is among those defying public pressure and continuing to operate manufacturing plants and sell products across Russia, while up until Wednesday remaining mum on that nation’s relentless assault on Ukrainian cities.
Wichita, Kansas-based Koch has several business lines in Russia, and is among the nearly 40 companies described as “digging in” by refusing to curb or stop business in that nation, according to a tally compiled by Yale University professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his research team.
And, to make matters worse, there is their activism:
Political groups supported by Charles Koch, the right-wing billionaire who is chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, oppose broad economic sanctions against Russia, according to Popular Information, a left-leaning newsletter run by Judd Legum.
Stand Together, a nonprofit founded by Charles Koch, instead “supports targeted sanctions against Russia in response to its immoral invasion of Ukraine. We also believe that sanctions are a legitimate tool of statecraft. However, broad-based economic sanctions rarely achieve their desired policy outcomes,” Dan Caldwell, the group’s vice president for foreign policy, tweeted on Monday.
While there is certainly some condemnation waiting in the wings for Koch Industries over this decision, it may not last long, as global experts are beginning to suggest that Russia has but two weeks to win this war before their once-mighty military “buckles”.
