Starbucks Pulling Out of Russia

Starbucks is the latest multinational chain to cut ties with Russia.

Starbucks is the latest multinational chain to cut ties with Russia.

As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, the country’s global image has soured, to say the least. Major multinational corporations and businesses have been pulling their dealings out of Russia one after the other, some out of fears of being nationalized, others out of a desire to no longer be associated with an invading country. The latest company to sever ties with Russia over their invasion is another fast food giant, Starbucks.

After pausing their operations and halting product export to Russia back in March, Starbucks announced today that they are officially pulling all of their business dealings out of the country. Starbucks made its position rather succinctly, stating that it “has made the decision to exit and no longer have a brand presence in the market.”

All of the 130 partner-operated Starbucks locations in Russia will be shuttered, while the approximately 2,000 employees will still be paid for another six months. Starbucks also intends to assist these employees in finding new work after these payments end.

This departure follows another high-profile conclusion last week, when fast food giant McDonald’s announced their own departure from Russian soil. It is not known if Starbucks will follow McDonald’s’ example and sell off their real estate for generic coffee shop locations.