Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned into the largest ground war on European soil since World War II. And along with causing immense loss of human life and destruction across many of Ukraine’s cities, it is roiling the global economic landscape – and causing many of the world’s largest companies to pull out of Russia as the country increasingly becomes a global pariah.
The economic fallout from this conflict is wide-ranging, in part because of both countries’ importance to the commodity markets. Ukraine and Russia are both global leaders in production of food commodities, including wheat and sunflower oil. Russia is also the world’s No. 3 oil producer, behind only the United States and Saudi Arabia. And Russia dominates the European energy market, as its largest supplier of natural gas, which is used for home heating and power generation.
But another wrinkle has developed: American and international corporations alike are taking note of the global revulsion against Russia’s actions, and many have taken measures to stop doing business in the country. Their actions range from limiting access to services to pulling out of Russia altogether.
We’ll take a quick look at some of the biggest companies to distance themselves from Russia, then provide a table listing all the notable companies that have so far announced they will limit or halt their Russian operations.
Note: Changes are happening quickly, and we’re seeing a pattern of companies announcing relatively minor penalties followed by larger initiatives as the invasion continues.
Apple
The world’s most valuable publicly traded company announced on March 1 that it was freezing its business in Russia.
Apple (AAPL) had halted exports to Russia and limited Apple Pay service the previous week, after the U.S. government announced sanctions against Russian banks. But starting March 1, Apple expanded its measures, including halting sales of all products to Russia through the online Apple Store and restricting Russian news outlet apps to use only within Russia.
Soon after, the price for Apple products like iPhones and MacBooks reportedly doubled on the Russian gray market.
For what it’s worth, Statista estimates the Russian market generated roughly $2.5 billion in sales for Apple in 2020 – less than 1% of the company’s $274.3 billion in total revenue for that year.
Netflix
Netflix (NFLX) is a prime example of how quickly the situation is evolving.
When I started writing this article, Netflix was taking a cautious approach, putting a hold on future projects and acquisitions from Russia. By the time the article was finished, several hours later, Netflix announced it had suspended service in Russia altogether. </…….
Source: https://www.kiplinger.com/investing/stocks/604317/companies-pulled-out-of-russia