LIQUI MOLY donates €250,000 for Ukraine aid

“This is just a gesture and alone cannot alleviate the unspeakable suffering of the people,” says Günter Hiermaier, Managing Director of the medium-sized enterprise.

With the start of the war, the German lubricant manufacturer froze its Russian business and voluntarily gave up sales in one of its main markets. “This was not a question for us at all,” Günter Hiermaier describes the decision. “For us, people always count more than business. We want to and must do our part to stop Putin and take away Russia’s economic foundation for the war,” he continues. This can only be done together; one person alone can do little.

And so the Ulm-based company also called on all its business partners to take part in a large-scale aid campaign run by the HelpUkraine.Center organization. Around €1.7 million have been collected so far from all over the world and also from Ukraine itself. "Now we are adding another €250,000 on top of that. In view of the huge economic restrictions that we are already facing due to the war, this is a considerable sum,” says Günter Hiermaier. From these funds, medical supplies and everything needed in the war zone are purchased and sent to Ukraine via the HelpUkraine.Center, which many international companies and organizations have joined.

A total of 3,000 tonnes of goods were shipped by the project in March. This is equivalent to 300 truckloads and 8,000 pallets. The funds are managed and processed by the Ernst Prost foundation “People for peace – Peace for people”. The private foundation of the former LIQUI MOLY Managing Director has been committed to peace projects worldwide and social programs in Germany for many years now. Most recently, it gained a great deal of recognition through the Ukraine aid, as the international star Sting had called for donations to the foundation and at the same time donated the proceeds from his song “Russians”. “We are continuing our cooperation at this level with Ernst Prost with his partner Kerstin Thiele, who is the foundation manager,” explains the LIQUI MOLY boss. In addition to the one-off donation of €250,000, the motor oil and additive specialist had donated, among other things, disinfectants as a material donation in the five-figure range and had also organized accommodation for Ukrainian families. The costs and administrative work with the authorities are being borne by the company. Günter Hiermaier assures: “We will continue to commit ourselves as much as possible to providing aid and contributing towards weakening the Russian regime.” In total, the company will forgo around €50 million from its Russian business in 2022.