No McNuggets for You, Comrade! McD's Pulls out of Russia
As the shockwaves of Russia’s incursion into the sovereign nation of Ukraine continue well into their second week, the world is fighting back in whatever ways that they can.
Vladimir Putin has been dangling the obscene threat of nuclear war over the rest of the diplomatic world, should they decide to intervene in the matter or cross any of the imaginary lines that he’s drawn in the sand. This has kept the US and western allies from setting foot in Ukraine, and it has complicated efforts to provide lethal aid to the embattled nation.
But the corporate world is something else entirely, and some of the world’s most prominent businesses are now telling Putin to kindly buzz off.
McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) said Tuesday the U.S.-based fast-food giant will temporarily close all restaurants in the country and pause operations in its Russian market, heeding to growing criticism over its silence on the conflict even as other multinational companies have severed ties with the nation.
“We serve millions of Russian customers each day who count on McDonald’s,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement. “At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine.”
The move will shutter all 850 McDonald’s locations in Russia, which employ 62,000 people. However, the company said it will continue to pay salaries for McDonald’s employees in the country.
Activists have had great success in pressuring many western businesses to avoid Russia for the time being, with Coca Cola now one of the largest to sustain such calls without a change.