Nearly 500 British companies are still operating in Russia
As of May 2026, 495 commercial companies in Russia continue to operate, with UK residents serving as shareholders or co-owners.
The data shows that despite Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and the pressure of sanctions, a significant number of British businesses still maintain a presence in the Russian market.
Although the number of such businesses has decreased significantly compared to 2022 (when there were over 2,000), British capital remains present in the Russian economy.
Key Sectors and Geographic Distribution of Business
The largest share of British capital in Russia is concentrated in the service sectors.
The most popular sectors are real estate leasing and management, as well as IT, business consulting, construction, marketing, and wholesale trade in agricultural equipment.
According to data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities of the Russian Federation, Moscow is the undisputed leader in terms of the number of registrations (308 companies), followed by St. Petersburg (44) and the Moscow Region (31).
In addition, analysts have documented the registration of British “clones” of Ukrainian companies in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine—in Crimea, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Sanction-Related Links and International Brands
The total authorized capital of the companies under investigation exceeds 59 billion rubles.
Many of them have been found to have ties to sanctioned individuals and the inner circle of the Kremlin regime:
sanctions and mining—stakes in three major Russian mining companies are held by the sanctioned British firm Nord Gold PLC, which is linked to Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov;
ties to the Kremlin – Russian insurance companies within the Chubb Group were managed by the alleged daughter of Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov;
unfinished brand exits—international giants such as Schneider Electric and the luxury holding company LVMH (through the company “Europa Hotel”) have not yet completed their full exit from the Russian market;
Facilities linked to the Federal Security Service (FSB)—in a suburb of St. Petersburg, a British-owned company operates a spa hotel, and among its shareholders is the alleged sister of FSB First Deputy Director Sergei Korolev.
This is evidenced by the results of a YouControl study.
In Russia, three more major retailers are on the brink of bankruptcy.
Russian banks are predicted to face a major crisis due to the war.
European intelligence has warned of the risk of a banking crisis in Russia — Reuters.
Russia has begun freezing bankdeposits held by citizens of unfriendly countries.
