This is the conclusion of a fresh survey by the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce. According to the survey (conducted from March to May), among 265 companies, 65% of respondents said they support the early resumption of energy cooperation with Russia. Another 31% believe that such purchases are possible only after a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, while 4% were against it, RBC reported.
The survey shows that the vast majority of companies remaining on the Russian market do not plan to leave in the short term. Only 2% of participants said they intend to leave the market, while 71% said they will continue to operate without changes.
At the same time, 57% of companies with predominantly German capital say that the importance of the Russian market for them remains stable. Almost a quarter (24%) are considering investing in Russia in the next 12 months.
Against the backdrop of sanctions restrictions, only 5% of companies expect exports to Russia to grow, while 53% are no longer supplying. At the same time, 81% of the survey participants reported financial losses related to the sanctions, ranging from less than 100 thousand euros to more than 1 billion euros.
Some 58% of respondents assessed the impact of Western sanctions as “strong” or “very strong”. At the same time, 36% believe that sanctions are more damaging to Germany, 8% – to Russia, the remaining 56% believe that the consequences are distributed approximately evenly.
Most companies also reported a limited impact from Russia’s retaliatory measures: 77% reported a minor effect, while 46% suffered no financial losses.
Western sanctions, the conflict in Ukraine, difficulties with bank settlements and the general economic environment were cited as the most serious barriers to business.
According to the survey, 96% of companies have not faced hostile takeover attempts.
