Russian prosecutors issued warnings through calls, letters or visits to companies across all sectors, including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, IBM and Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Russian authorities, which have already hardened their stance against foreign companies wishing to leave the country, have directly threatened some of them, warning officials of possible arrests of officials or confiscation of their assets, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
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Russian prosecutors have issued warnings through calls, letters or visits against companies across all sectors, including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, IBM and Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, business newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. . In particular, they threatened to arrest officials critical of the government or confiscate assets, including those related to intellectual property.
Hours after this publication, the Russian Embassy in the United States denied these allegations in a statement posted on its Facebook page. “This Wall Street Journal publication is pure fiction,” the embassy wrote, assuring that “even in the most difficult situation,” American commercial interests are not “trampled” on the Russian market. “The decision to continue their entrepreneurial activities in our country depends entirely on the Americans,” she said, condemning the “Russophobic hysteria.”
“Tight control” of foreign companies
Since the invasion of Ukraine, unprecedented economic sanctions have been imposed by Western governments, and a growing list of companies have announced they are pulling out of Russia or suspending their operations in the country. The Russian authorities stepped up measures to prevent capital outflow and support the ruble. Without getting to the word “nationalization,” Vladimir Putin said that he was in favor of appointing “external” administrators to head these companies “in order to hand them over to those who want to make them work.”
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The Russian prosecutor’s office also ordered on Friday to carry out “strict control” of foreign companies that announced the suspension of their activities. He warned that he would in particular monitor compliance with labor laws, under fear of criminal prosecution. In the face of direct threats, at least one company has decided to restrict communication with its employees in Russia for fear that emails and text messages will be intercepted, while others have evacuated their employees, according to the Wall Street Journal. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble and Yum Brands did not respond to AFP’s inquiry late Sunday.
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