Coca Cola and Starbucks have joined McDonald's in finally bowing to huge international pressure and pausing operations in Russia.
The companies had faced boycott calls in recent days after they continued to trade in the country following Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
They were accused of putting profits before justice as other companies - including Netflix, Apple and Levi's - withdrew from Russia as a result of Putin's war, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and forced an estimated two million to flee.
Bowing to public pressure, Coca Cola said in a statement: “Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine.
“We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve.”
This evening Starbucks also announced it was ceasing trade in Russia for the time being, as Putin becomes increasingly isolated on the world stage.
It is hoped the move will highlight to the Russian public that they are being lied to by the Kremlin, which falsely claims to be liberating Ukraine from "Nazis".
In an email to staff today, McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski wrote: "The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people. As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace."
His message continued: "In recent days, I have spoken with and heard from many in our System about our operations in Russia. The situation is extraordinarily challenging for a global brand like ours, and there are many considerations.
"For 66 years, we have operated with the belief that communities are made better when there’s a McDonald’s nearby.
"In Russia, we employ 62,000 people who have poured their heart and soul into our McDonald’s brand to serve their communities.
"We work with hundreds of local, Russian suppliers and partners who produce the food for our menu and support our brand. And we serve millions of Russian customers each day who count on McDonald’s.
"In the thirty-plus years that McDonald’s has operated in Russia, we’ve become an essential part of the 850 communities in which we operate.
"At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine."
He said affected staff in Russia would continue to have their salaries paid.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) will continue to operate in both Russia and Ukraine, the company announced.
Mr Kempczinski acknowledged that the chain had been hampered by supply chain issues in recent days.
He wrote: "As we move forward, McDonald’s will continue to assess the situation and determine if any additional measures are required.
"At this juncture, it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia.
"We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation."
Many companies have begun to pull their business out of Russia amid sanctions and outrage over the invasion of Ukraine.
Calls for more companies to follow suit are growing.
On Friday, the chief of New York state's pension fund penned letters to McDonald's Corp, PepsiCo Inc and eight other companies urging them to consider pausing operations in Russia.
Labour MP Chris Bryant said it was “appalling” that the firms “won’t do the right thing”. He added: “Some of these multinationals have lost their moral compass.”
Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey added: “Too many Western companies seem to think it’s business as usual despite Putin’s horrific invasion of Ukraine."
Earlier, Shell stopped buying oil from Russia and said it would cut links to the country entirely while the United States stepped up its campaign to punish Moscow by banning Russian oil and energy imports.
