Leica Camera AG firmly rejects the allegations mentioned in the article of "THE INSIDER" of 18 May 2023 regarding support for the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The statement that Leica Camera AG has continued to supply products for civil use to Russia despite the official announcement of an export stop is false. The last delivery of the products mentioned in the article to the Russian subsidiary took place at the end of February 2022 and thus indicates that shortly after the outbreak of the Russian war of aggression Leica Camera AG promptly implemented all relevant measures to obey the voluntary export ban. This also includes the closure of the Leica Store in Moscow and the decided implementation of the liquidation of the company Leica Russia at the end of 2022. Leica Camera AG has thus fully withdrawn from the Russian market, support of the Russian war of aggression is therefore purely factually impossible. Leica Camera AG has also at no time, as also mentioned in the article, circumvented any sanctions provisions.
Moreover, the products mentioned in the article are purely for civilian use in the field of application for hunters and sport shooters. In accordance with an updated resolution of the Board of Management in August 2022 all companies of Leica Camera AG are prohibited from bringing devices and applications for military use onto the market.
The projects for economic cooperation with Russian companies mentioned in the report took place in a phase before the Ukraine war and have been completed for some time. The nature of the cooperation has been purely related to the use of civilian applications in the field of photography.
The activities of Leica Geosystems AG mentioned in the article are in no way related to Leica Camera AG, as they are two legally separate and economically independent companies.
Leica Camera AG reserves the right to take possible legal action due to the dissemination of false statements.
Finally, it should be noted that the online platform "The Insider" does not provide any information about the specific author of the article, respectively there is no imprint.
About Leica Camera
Leica Camera AG is an international premium manufacturer of cameras, lenses and sports optics products with over 150 years of company history. As part of its growth strategy, the company has expanded its business to include mobile imaging (smartphones) and the manufacture of high-quality eyeglass lenses and watches and is represented in the home cinema segment with its own projectors.
Headquartered in Wetzlar (Germany) and with a second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão (Portugal), Leica Camera AG has a global network of its own sales companies with over 120 Leica Stores. The company employs 2,400 people and achieved a turnover of 554 million euros in the 2023/24 financial year.
The Leica brand stands for excellent quality, German craftsmanship and industrial design combined with innovative technologies. An integral part of the brand culture is the promotion of the culture of photography with around 30 Leica Galleries worldwide, Leica Academies and international awards such as the Leica Hall of Fame Award and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA).