Which companies are pulling out of Russia? List of firms that have boycotted country from KPMG to TikTok

Major companies are pulling their services and halting product sales in Russia following the invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

On Sunday 6 March, two of the big four accounting firms KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) said they will no longer have a firm in Russia due to the invasion.

Netflix and TikTok have also suspended services in Russia, while countries around the world have been imposing sanctions against the country.

On Tuesday 8 March McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks became the latest firms halting business in Russia.

Here are some of the big companies which have banned product sales and reduced services in Russia so far.

Which companies have pulled out of Russia?

TikTok

The Chinese-owned video sharing app has said Russian users will no longer be able to post new videos or live streams.

They also will not be able to see videos shared from elsewhere in the world.

TikTok said in a statement on Twitter: “In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend live streaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law.

“Our in-app messaging service will not be affected.”

Facebook

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, will restrict access to Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik on its platforms across the European Union.

It is also demoting content from Russian state-controlled media outlets’ Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, as well as posts containing links to those outlets on Facebook.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s said it was temporarily closing its roughly 850 restaurants in Russia.

The firm’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski said it was “impossible to predict” when it would reopen in Russia.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola on Tuesday 8 March said it was suspending operations in Russia.

“Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine,” the company said.

Starbucks

Starbucks said its 100 coffee shops would shut and plans to stop business in Russia by halting shipments of its products.

Universal Music Group

The world’s largest music company said it was suspending all operations in Russia and closing its offices there.

PG Tips

The company said it had suspended trade with Russia and planned to halt its advertising and media spending and investments there.

L’Oreal

The world’s biggest cosmetics company is shutting its stores and concessions in Russia and suspending online sales.

“We strongly condemn the Russian invasion and the war in Ukraine, which is causing so much suffering to the Ukrainian people,” the French company said in a statement.

Estee Lauder

The cosmetics giant announced that it will close all of the shops it operates in Russia and stop shipping make-up to retailers there.

Heineken

On Wednesday 9 March Heineken stopped beer production and sales in Russia.

American Express

American Express has announced it is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.

Globally issued American Express cards will no longer work at shops or cash machines in Russia, the company said in a statement.

AmEx cards issued locally in Russia by the country’s banks will also no longer work outside of Russia.

Mastercard and Visa

Mastercard and Visa announced on Saturday 5 March they would be suspending their operations in Russia.

Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network and any card issued outside the country will not work at Russian stores or cash machines.

KPMG

The third largest accounting firm in the world announced its Russia and Belarus firm would leave the KPMG network.

This move will affect more than 4,500 partners and staff.

Netflix

Netflix has said it is suspending its service in Russia but didn’t provide additional details.

It previously said it has no plans to add state-run channels in Russia because of the "current situation" in Ukraine.

Spotify

The streaming service has closed its office in Moscow and removed and restricted content that is operated or backed by Russian state media.

The company said in a statement: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

"Earlier this week, we also took the additional step of removing all RT and Sputnik content from Spotify in the EU and other markets."

Apple

US tech giant Apple is stopping sales of iPhones and other products in Russia.

It has also limited Apple Pay – which has led to huge queues on the metro system.

RT News and Sputnik News (two state-backed news services) can no longer be downloaded from the App Store outside of Russia and Apple has made changes to its Map app to protect civilians in Ukraine – it has disabled both traffic and live incidents.

Google

Google said it has removed Russian state-funded publishers such as RT from its news-related features, including the Google News search tool.

The tech company has also banned RT and other Russian channels from receiving money for ads on websites, apps and YouTube videos.

Google Pay has been limited in Russia and Google Maps has disabled live traffic data in Ukraine so you cannot see how busy a place is.

PayPal

PayPal has shut down its services in Russia.

President and Chief Executive Dan Schulman said in a statement that the company "stands with the international community in condemning Russia’s violent military aggression in Ukraine."

A company spokesperson said PayPal will support withdrawals "for a period of time, ensuring that account balances are dispersed in line with applicable laws and regulations.”

Microsoft

Microsoft said it had suspended all sales of its products and services to Russia.

They also said they would work with the US, UK and EU to stop any aspects of their business that would breach any sanctions.

EA

Video game maker Electronic Arts Inc said it is removing the Russian national team and all Russian football clubs from its popular video game FIFA 22.

The company said it would also remove the Russian team from NHL 22 - its game title based on the National Hockey League.

IKEA

Flat-pack furniture giant IKEA has temporarily closed all retail and manufacturing operations in Russia and Belarus in a move impacting around 15,000 workers.

Nike

Nike has made online sales unavailable in Russia.

H&M

The clothing retailer said it has paused all sales in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

H&M said it "is deeply concerned about the tragic developments in Ukraine" and that the situation is being "continuously monitored and evaluated".

John Lewis

John Lewis will no longer sell a line of pizza oven pellets which it sources from Russia.

Waitrose, part of the John Lewis Partnership, had earlier said that it will remove a type of Russian vodka from its shelves as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Sports Direct

The sports store has also pulled out of Russia, with a statement saying that "we have stopped processing orders until further notice".

It says this is because of the "unforeseen situation in Ukraine".

Mercedes-Benz

Germany luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said it would suspend the export of passenger cars and vans to Russia, as well as local manufacturing in the country.

Ford

Ford has suspended operations in Russia until further notice.

BMW

The German carmaker BMW has halted the exports of cars to Russia and would stop production on the ground in the country.

Airbnb

The short-lettings company announced it would be suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.

Nokia

Nokia has stopped deliveries to Russia to comply with sanctions imposed on the country following the invasion of Ukraine.

Samsung

Samsung Electronics said shipments to Russia have been suspended "due to current geopolitical developments."

Disney, Warner Bros and Sony Pictures Entertainment

Disney, Warner Bros, and Sony Pictures Entertainment said they would pause theatrical releases of upcoming films in Russia.

The announcement means the upcoming release of Turning Red, The Batman and Morbius will not go ahead as scheduled.

Mango

Mango, which employs 800 people in Russia, said it would temporarily close its stores and its online platform.

Dell

Dell Technologies has “suspended” sales in both Ukraine and Russia.

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