The big four accountants leave Russia | Financial

KPMG has more than 4,500 employees in Russia and Belarus and states that “ending our working relationship with them, many of whom have been part of KPMG for decades, is incredibly difficult. This decision is not about them – it is a consequence of the actions of the Russian government. We are a goal-oriented and values-driven organization that believes in doing the right thing.”

“We all remain shocked and horrified by the senseless war the Russian government is inflicting on Ukraine and its people,” PwC CEO Bob Moritz said in a statement. “Our main focus is helping our Ukrainian colleagues and supporting the humanitarian efforts to help the people of Ukraine.”

But that’s only part of the company’s responsibility, he says. “We have decided that, given the circumstances, PwC should not have a firm in Russia. As a result, PwC Russia will leave the network,” he said. The Russian firm employs 3,700 people. Moritz says he is committed to “facilitating an orderly transition for the company with a focus on the well-being of our colleagues at PwC Russia.

EY announced in a statement Monday morning that it would leave its network from nine Russian cities. The company calls it “heartbreaking” to say goodbye to 4,700 EY employees who have been working with them for more than thirty years. EY states that the division in Russia will ‘detach from the global network’. EY is not yet available for comment on the question of what that means exactly.

The company indicates that from now on it will no longer work for the Russian government, state-owned companies or companies and individuals, anywhere in the world, that fall under the sanction list.

On Monday afternoon, Deloitte also released a statement indicating that it will no longer be active in Russia and Belarus. 3000 Deloitte employees are currently active in these countries.

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