Agusha, Chudo, Prostokvashino: Russian brands are still protected in Ukraine
Despite the full-scale war and sanctions, hundreds of Russian trademarks remain officially active in Ukraine and retain legal protection. Some of them continue to be registered under current intellectual property laws, even in the face of restrictions on companies from Russia and Belarus. In total, there are over a thousand brands that remain within the legal framework.
A significant number of Russian trademarks remain valid in Ukraine, despite the ban on registration activities for companies from the aggressor country. Experts explain this by the fact that Ukrainian legislation allows for the renewal of trademark certificates, even if the owner is from Russia or Belarus.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, some brands were still able to renew their trademark rights with the National Intellectual Property and Innovation Office. In total, out of more than 3,000 Russian trademarks registered by 2022, 1,356 remain valid—that is, nearly one in two.
Most of these trademarks are in the service sector—advertising and business services—where there are over 450 brands. Next are medical and hygiene products, office supplies, and food products, including well-known names such as “Agusha,” “Chudo,” “Prostokvashino,” “Maisky,” Curtis, Richard, and “Baltika.” It is precisely these brands, which are well known to consumers, that formally remain protected in Ukraine.
At the same time, sanctions do not always automatically strip companies of their trademark rights. The certificate is valid for ten years and can be regularly renewed, so some brands may remain within the Ukrainian legal framework even until the 2030s.
Experts emphasize that the existing system has loopholes that allow Russian owners to maintain the legal status of their brands even during wartime. It is also noted that determining the exact number of companies behind these brands is difficult, as a single trademark can be registered across multiple classes of goods and services, further complicating the tally. This is reported by “OpenDataBot.”
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin held a meeting with editors of history textbooks, during which he called for a review of their content. According to him, textbooks created before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine contain “blatant Russophobia,” “distortions of historical facts,” and “false information.”
We previously reported that Russia is preparing for another wave of “editing” school history. Putin himself announced plans to change the content of textbooks, complaining that current books allegedly lack “truthful information.”
