Solidarity with Ukraine

Update April 17, 2024 

After more than two years of war, destruction and personal tragedy, the situation for Ukrainian civilians has not eased. There is a shortage of food, water, and medicine, and people are trying to cope with the consequences of the invasion. According to the Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan from December 2023, 18 million out of the 36 million people in Ukraine will require humanitarian aid in 2024.  

Since March 2022, we have supported the Ukrainian people with financial support through the German Red Cross and Polish Red Cross. To date, total financial donations amount to 26.5 million EUR, while initial product donations added another 11.5 million EUR.  

The Board of Managing Directors has now decided to extend our current relief donations program with another 12 months for a total amount of 10.25 million EUR, bringing our total support commitment to Ukraine to 48.25 million EUR.

In the past year, our donations positively impacted more than 328,000 Ukrainians. While in the early days of the war aid to our employees and first aid for the refugees were leading the relief efforts, the need for mental and mobile health support in Ukraine, as well as refugee support in Poland, is now at the heart of our support.  

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Update December 12, 2022

The war in Ukraine continues and it is clear that much help is still needed in many areas. In March 2022 we pledged our support for Ukraine via making financial donations to several charitable organizations and via donating our medical products. Reflecting on the year, we have committed over EUR 25 million in financial support and medicines. Our monthly donations to the Red Cross will continue into the new year.

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Update March 18, 2022

The ongoing war in Ukraine touches all of us at Boehringer Ingelheim deeply. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, their families and all Ukrainians. We are committed to helping those in need and to assisting those who help. From the start of the war our priority has been to support our nearly 100 colleagues and their families in Ukraine.

We continue to see many support initiatives across our company, from donating to accommodating refugees. We facilitate these efforts by giving colleagues in Europe up to 10 volunteering days to help. We have made an initial EUR 2.5 million financial donation to emergency relief organizations in the early days of the war and started an ongoing process of medicines donations for Ukraine.

We realize that the war will have a long-term impact. We want to be there for Ukrainians not only now, but also when they can start rebuilding their country. We will therefore donate 12 monthly payments of each EUR 1 million to the Polish and German Red Cross organizations, from this month.

Providing people with the – often life-saving – medicines they need has always been our absolute priority. We do everything to keep supplying people in Ukraine, which is not easy now. We have also provided medicines to people in Russia for the past 30 years. We believe we cannot leave them without their medication now. This includes patients participating in current clinical trials.

Our operations in Russia will be limited to the supply of medicines and in full compliance with the sanctions imposed on the country.

The situation in the region will remain volatile in the coming period and we are closely following developments. We all hope that the aggression against Ukraine and the horrible suffering of Ukrainians will soon come to an end.

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February 28, including update from March 9, 2022

“On behalf of the Board of Managing Directors, I would like to express our feelings of sorrow and consternation over the start of a war in the middle of Europe. This affects people across the region, where families have members on both sides of the border, and where sons and daughters are called to duty in a war that only brings suffering and pain”, says Hubertus von Baumbach, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors. “War can never be accepted as the means of resolving conflicts.”

It was in February 1992 that we established our presence in Ukraine and Russia, which has grown to a total of nearly 800 employees today. "During these 30 years, we have achieved many milestones together in the interest of health, for the benefit of patients, and in the interest of life. Our Ukrainian as well as Russian colleagues have become integral members of the Boehringer Ingelheim family,” Hubertus von Baumbach continued. "Our thoughts are with them, as well as the many people who simply want to live in peace. On behalf of my colleagues, my deepest sympathies are with them all.”

“We have decided to make a donation of EUR 2.5 million* to charitable organizations providing humanitarian support to Ukraine and its citizens.”

Many colleagues are working to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and their families in any way possible. We are in close contact with our Ukrainian colleagues. We also decided to grant up to 10 extra working days for Ukraine-related volunteering to our employees in Europe who wish to take time off to provide support.

At the same time, we are seeking to limit the impact of the conflict on the supply of medicines to patients for humanitarian reasons across both countries. “We would like to thank all who have worked tirelessly during the past days to provide help wherever help can be provided.” Hubertus von Baumbach promises: “We will do everything to help our impacted colleagues, their families and communities.”

* The donation will be distributed to the following charitable organizations:

• EUR 750k to International Committee of the Red Cross (via German Red Cross - DRK)
• EUR 750k to Aktionsbündnis Katastrophenhilfe
• EUR 500k to Aktion Deutschland Hilft
• EUR 500k to UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe