AFP, New York :
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks bowed to public pressure and suspended their operations in Russia, joining the international corporate chorus of outrage over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Several of these companies, symbols of American cultural influence in the world, have been the subject of boycott calls on social media as investors have also begun to ask questions about their presence. “We cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine,” the fast-food giant said, announcing the temporary closure all 850 restaurants in Russia, where it employs 62,000 people. Starbucks, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo announced their own decisions to halt or restrict business in quick succession, noting the growing human cost of the invasion.
PepsiCo said that despite halting sales in Russia of its flagship beverage, as well as 7Up and Mirinda, it would continue to offer products like milk and baby food. “By continuing to operate, we will also continue to support the livelihoods of our 20,000 Russian associates and the 40,000 Russian agricultural workers in our supply chain,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a statement. Starbucks, which has 130 Kuwaiti conglomerate-run coffee shops in Russia, said all operations, including product shipments, will be suspended. A team from Yale University that keeps a list of companies with a significant presence in Russia said about 290 have announced withdrawal from the country since it invaded neighboring Ukraine, reminiscent of ‘the large-scale corporate boycott of Apartheid South Africa in the 1980s.’
