Ukraine lists 50 global brands that have continued to operate in Russia
Ukraine released a list of 50 global brands that have continued to operate in Russia despite mounting pressure to take a stand against Vladimir Putin's invasion of the eastern European country.
Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs has called on relevant businesses, governments and consumers to boycott these brands because they allegedly aid the Russian government.
The ministry said on Twitter that every ruble paid in taxes to Russia turns into deaths and tears of Ukrainian children.
American burger joint Burger King, Italian luxury goods company Salvatore Ferragamo, pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson and South Korea's Samsung Electronics were among the list of global brands operating in Russia until March 9th, the ministry said.
On Wednesday, the list mentioned Nestle, but it joined Philip Morris International and Sony to scale down production in Russia.
Caterpillar is leaving Russia as operations in the country have become increasingly difficult, including supply chain disruptions and sanctions. Many businesses are facing difficulties working in Russia due to international sanctions imposed on Moscow after the Ukraine invasion and a hit to the supply chain. There have been growing anti-Russian sentiment and calls to boycott the country, which has resulted in corporations taking measures to reduce business in Russia.
Hundreds of companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Hermes, Chanel and Prada, stopped trading in Russia earlier this week. McDonald s said shutting down 847 stores across the country would cost it $50 m 38 m a month.
Netflix has suspended its operations in Russia, while Spotify has closed its office in the country indefinitely. The discoverability of shows owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media has been restricted by Spotify.
Andrei Turchak, secretary of the United Russia party's general council, warned that Moscow might nationalise idled foreign assets, because of the mass exodus.
The secretary of state for Ukraine said that United Russia proposes nationalising the production plants of the companies that announce their exit and the closure of production in Russia.
As Russia's unprovoked invasion entered the third week on Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol an act of genocide. Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of Mariupol, said at least three people, including a six-year-old child, were killed in the attack.
British prime minister Boris Johnson announced that his government will impose tough new sanctions against Russia. He said that we will tighten these to impose the maximum economic cost on Russia and increase our military support to Ukraine.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we ran our Refugees Welcome campaign in 2015 during the war in Syria. As we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis, we are calling for the government to go further and faster to make sure help is delivered.