Apple, Volkswagen, BMW, Spotify, Ford, Volvo, Honda, IKEA, Nike, Disney, Galp and the like: everything from Russia

From the technological sector to fashion, through cinema and aviation, many multinational companies have invited the Russian market.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of UkraineExactly a week ago, hundreds of global brands had already reported exiting or suspending economic activities in Russia.

In the technology sector, Apple announced on Tuesday that it will stop selling its products in Russia, as well as limit some services – such as Apple Pay. Software companies SAP and Oracle also announced the end of all operations in Russia, in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and the German brand went even further, by making its offices in the European Union available to receive refugees. Spotify has also imposed sanctions on Russia, and closed its offices in the country.

car manufacturers Volkswagen And BMW was the first brands in this sector to suspend both production in Russia and exports to the country. The US companies Ford and General Motors, which own brands such as Chevrolet and Cadillac, followed the same path, as did Sweden’s Volvo, Japan’s Toyota, Mazda and Honda.

Also, during the night, the oil company “BP” decided to sell its shares in Russia’s Rosneft after “an act of aggression against Ukraine”. The British company owns 19.75% of the company’s shares, about 22 billion euros. Shell also decided to terminate all of its operations in Russia, including the Nordstream 2 pipeline and projects in partnership with Gazprom.

In the field of aviation, Boeing, Airbus and Embraer announced the suspension of support and maintenance of Russian Airlines aircraft, as well as the sale of spare parts. But perhaps one of the biggest influences is All Swedish IKEA stores closed In Russia and Belarus, which left about 15,000 people unemployed.

The fashion world also cut ties with Russia. Adidas has suspended its partnership with the Russian Football Association, while Nike has suspended all sales to Russia. For its part, H&M closed all its stores in Russia and suspended sales to the territory.

The world of cinema also punished Russia for the invasion imposed by Putin. Disney, Sony and WarnerBros have suspended the release of their new movies in theaters across the country. For its part, Netflix announced that it will not abide by the new Russian audiovisual law, which will require the brand to have approximately 20 public channels on its platform in order to operate.

Payment processors Visa, Mastercard and Amex, in line with the sanctions imposed by the West, have blocked several entities from their networks. In turn, the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, decided to end investment in 47 Russian companies, as well as in Russian government bonds.

Among the Portuguese brands, Prio and Galp stand out, which stopped importing Russian oil products in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and Jeronimo Martinswhich removed all Russian and Belarusian products from the shelves of supermarkets in Poland, under the Pedronka brand.