In the second week of Russia’s war on Ukraine, large Western companies yielded to public pressure and American business giants McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks announced stopping operations in Russia, British public broadcaster BBC reports.
The announcements came on Tuesday, March 8, the 13th day of war on Ukrainian soil. #BoycottMcDonalds and #BoycottCocaCola had both been trending on Twitter over recent days.
McDonald’s stated it was temporarily closing its roughly 850 restaurants in Russia, while Starbucks also said its 100 coffee shops would close. Coca-Cola announced on Tuesday said it was suspending operations in Russia, which accounted for roughly 2% of the firm’s operating revenue and income, as well as has a roughly 20% ownership stake in a bottling and distribution business in Russia.
Read also: Day 14 of war in Ukraine: Evacuation from Sumy continues; Russia bombards power station, residential areas in Kharkiv
Meanwhile, Pepsi, which has a much larger presence in Russia than rival Coca-Cola, announced it was halting the production and sale of Pepsi and other global brands in Russia and but would continue to offer other products. Pepsi employs 20,000 people in Russia, BBC reports.
Amid boycott calls, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks announce stopping Russia operations
