Nestlé has launched an internal investigation after it emerged that its advertisements were placed on the sanctioned television channel Imedi TV, which has been under UK sanctions since February 2026 for spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda.
The British publication City A.M. reports that the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturer continued commercial cooperation with Imedi TV even after the sanctions were introduced, specifically regarding advertising for the Nescafé, Nescafé Gold, and Nesquik brands.
The investigation is reportedly being overseen by Nestlé’s Global Head of Legal, Leanne Geale, with the participation of Mark Maurice-Jones, a lawyer from the company’s London office.
In a comment to City A.M., a Nestlé spokesperson stated that the company complies with all applicable legal requirements and international sanctions.
“We want to assure that Nestlé complies with all applicable laws and international sanctions, including our operations in Georgia,” he stated.
Imedi TV was founded in 2003 by Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili. In February 2026, London placed the Georgian TV channel on its sanctions list, noting that it spreads “deliberately misleading information” about Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The UK Foreign Office stated that Imedi TV “supports or promotes policies and actions which destabilise Ukraine or undermine or threaten its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.”
London pointed out that the TV channel regularly broadcasts material claiming that the Ukrainian government and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are illegitimate, that Ukraine is a “puppet of the West,” and that Western countries and Kyiv are seeking to destabilize the situation in Georgia.
In March, Transparency International included Nestlé among the Western companies that maintained ties with Imedi TV after the sanctions were imposed. Following the publication of this information, the company launched an internal review.
Some international companies severed ties with Imedi immediately after the sanctions were introduced. One of them was the BBC, which ended its cooperation with the TV channel and, the very day after the restrictions were imposed, cancelled the licensing agreement to broadcast the TV show Strictly Come Dancing.
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the situation surrounding Nestlé.