Western firms including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, IBM, and Yum Brands, have received a warning from Russian prosecutors that criticizing Moscow’s war on Ukraine could lead to their corporate leaders’ arrests or seizure of their assets in Russia.
Companies have been threatened via calls, letters, and visits that legal action could be taken against them in Russia and that their assets in the country, including their trademarks, could be seized, which prompted at least one of the companies to limit communications with its Russian business.
Many Western private firms- from oil companies and retailers to sports organizations and media – have cut ties with Russia since Moscow attacked Ukraine as the country becomes isolated from the global economy and faced with US-imposed sanctions.
BP’s chairman Helge Lund, whose company withdraw from Russia last month, stressed that their involvement with the state-owned enterprise Rosneft simply cannot continue in the light of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which is considered an act of aggression, despite the fact that he worked with brilliant Russian colleagues over the three decades in the country.
Faced with the sweeping sanctions imposed bu the US and the rest of the Western world and with the corporate exodus crippling Russia’s economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out last week that the Kremlin seeking legal solutions to take over the foreign assets of international companies that are pulling out of its market, announcing the possibility to seize their assets.
The White House promptly warned against such move on Friday with the spokeswoman Jen Psaki warning in a tweet that any lawless decision by Russia to seize the assets of these companies twill convey a clear message to the global business community that Russia is not a safe place to invest and do business and will result in even more economic pain for Russia.
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