Ukraine war: McDonald’s closes Russia locations, Coca Cola halts sales
- Starbucks and Pepsi are also joining the list of Western companies suspending activities, as Moscow’s pariah status grows
- The country’s first McDonald’s restaurant, which opened in 1990, had become a symbol of flourishing American capitalism as the Soviet Union fell.
McDonald’s Corp and Starbucks Corp are temporarily closing hundreds of restaurants in Russia, with Coca-Cola and Pepsi among the latest Western companies to pause operations in the country after it moved troops into Ukraine.
PepsiCo, the soft-drink and snack maker, will suspend all advertising in Russia and stop the sale of its drinks brands, while rival Coca-Cola said it will suspend its business there.
Fast-food chain McDonald’s said it would go on paying salaries to its 62,000 employees in Russia.
The closure of McDonald’s 847 restaurants also carries symbolic importance in Russia, where the first location to open, in central Moscow’s Pushkin Square in 1990, became a symbol of flourishing American capitalism as the Soviet Union fell.
Coffee chain Starbucks also said on Tuesday it is suspending all business activity in Russia, including shipment of its products and cafes run by a licensee.
Earlier, Shell stopped buying oil from Russia and said it would cut links to the country entirely while the United States stepped up its campaign to punish Moscow by banning Russian oil and energy imports.