McDonald's has finally conceded to global pressure and announced it will temporarily close its stores in Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine invasion.
The fast food giant faced backlash for continuing its operations in the country in spite of worldwide condemnation for Vladimir Putin's illegal attacks on Ukraine.
While other companies - including Netflix, Apple and Levi's - withdrew from Russia, the retailer was accused of putting profits before justice, according to the Mirror.
In recent days, calls to boycott McDonald's have been widely shared on social media, as businesses face pressure to weaken the Russian economy in protest over the war.
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."
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