Credit cards were declined, car production was halted, streaming services put up a black screen, and McDonald’s instituted a “no-fry” zone.
A growing number of companies are pulling their operations or suspending service in Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine, targeting major sectors of the Russian economy and casting the country as a pariah on the world stage.
WESTERN CORPORATIONS FLEE RUSSIA EN MASS, CITING SANCTIONS AND A MORAL IMPERATIVE
Energy companies, including Shell and BP, said last month that they would be divesting their stakes in Russian oil companies.
Facing public outcry to boycott the chain, fast-food giant McDonald’s announced Tuesday that it would temporarily close 850 franchise locations in Russia.
“We cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a memo to employees.
Here is a list of companies that announced a break with Russia:
Food and Drink
Energy
Transportation
Finance
Shipping
Technology and streaming
Other
Announcements from the private sector come as the United States and several other countries impose a slew of sanctions on Russia. This month, the Biden administration announced a ban on Russian energy imports, and the European Union pledged to cut Russian gas dependency by two-thirds.
U.S. politicians have voiced support for companies taking action against Russia.
“We tip our hat to their efforts. We encourage more to lead in this regard as well. And I think that this is an important step, surrounded by the actions that [we] can take here in government that will further send the message to Vladimir Putin that we will continue to isolate his economy as well as his country,” California Rep. Pete Aguilar, the vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told the Washington Examiner.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said he “embraced” companies’ efforts as it was an “all-hand-on-deck effort.”
Some companies have refused to ditch Russia during its now-two-week-old invasion of Ukraine.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, a cryptocurrency exchange platform, wrote in a series of tweets that the platform would abide by sanctions but would not “preemptively” ban all Russians from using their service.
“Some ordinary Russians are using crypto as a lifeline now that their currency has collapsed. Many of them likely oppose what their country is doing, and a ban would hurt them, too. That said, if the U.S. government decides to impose a ban, we will of course follow those laws,” Armstrong wrote.
Amway, an international manufacturing company that produces personal care products, announced plans to match humanitarian donations related to Ukraine but said nothing of its operations in Russia.
“We will continue to face complexities in the days ahead and we will rely on our teams — who have huge hearts for the people of Amway — as we make decisions on where to focus our efforts to help the Amway family and the people of Ukraine,” the company wrote in a statement on March 4.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Thursday marked two weeks since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Both sides have seen a rising number of casualties each day that the fighting continues. In recent days, humanitarian problems in Ukraine have worsened after repeated efforts to deliver aid have been blocked by continued shelling from Russian forces. More than 2 million people have fled the country.
This is not an all-exclusive list of companies that have exited Russia and is subject to change.
