McDonald's is pulling out of Russia

McDonald’s is one of many companies to join the now massive list of organizations leaving Russia.

This, among Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo are the most recent advancements. On Tuesday, March eighth, McDonald’s corporate executives announced that they would be closing down 800+ locations across Russia. The company would continue to pay the salaries of the affected employees however, as the closings come temporarily. These decisions come as a form of protest against the Slavic nation’s war in Ukraine.

However, it’s also because of growing calls online to boycott companies that don’t pull out of Russia.

“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people,” stated compay CEO Chris Kempczinski. “We join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace.”

Only a few hours after McDonald’s official statement, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson told reporters that he would close all 130 locations in Russia. This comes after a period of condemnation for the war but no direct action.

On that same Tuesday Coca-Cola stated that they would cease operations in Russia as well.

PepsiCo will be pulling out multiple products from Russia, however they will continue to produce and sell essentials such as baby milk and food.

The list of companies to leave Russia has now topped 300, with many large-scale conglomerates such as Apple, H&M, Ikea, and Shopify.


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Thumbnail photo by Jason Miraples on Unsplash