Fast food giant McDonald’s is under fire for still trading in Russia as the war in Ukraine continues to claim innocent lives.
Dozens of big name brands including Apple, Nike and PayPal have confirmed they are temporarily cutting ties with Russia, in solidarity with Ukraine.
Several UK supermarkets have taken a stand as well, including Morrisons and the Co-Op, both of which have confirmed they will stop selling Russian Standard vodka.
Energy giants have also issued statements this week, such as British Gas, BP and Shell, which have all ended supply agreements with Russia.
But several huge companies have so far remained silent on whether they will sever links with Russia as well, with McDonald’s and PepsiCo being called out for continuing to trade in the country.
The chief of New York state’s pension fund said on Thursday that McDonald’s and other companies with a large footprint in Russia “need to consider whether doing business in Russia is worth the risk during this extraordinarily volatile time.”
McDonald’s, which has more than 850 restaurants in Russia, has also been called out by social media users on Twitter.
Posting photos of open stores, they accused the chain of treating business as 'normal'.
One person said: “Guess who is doing business as normal in #Russia no surprise #BoycottMcDonalds”
Another said: “Boycott @McDonalds who are still feeding Russia. #McDonalds”
A third tweeted: “@McDonalds Leave #Russia or lose loyal customers, the choice is yours. #BoycottMcDonalds”
The Mirror has contacted McDonald’s for comment and we’ll update this story when we get a response.
Last week, the fast food giant announced it will donate food to local councils in Ukraine so that it can be distributed to those in need.
The food donation will include products that don’t need to be cooked, such as water, vegetables, fruits, eggs, rolls and salads.
Other food chains that are also still trading in Russia including KFC, Burger King and Starbucks.
One Twitter use commented: "@McDonalds @BurgerKing @kfc still operating care free in Russia while other companies say profit isn't worth class. Won't be eating there for awhile! #IStandWithUkriane #Ukraine"
It comes after Russian troops began a devastating invasion of Ukraine on Thursday last week.
More than one million people have already fled Ukraine since the conflict began, while thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed.
Russian forces have so far taken control of Kherson in the south, the first major city to fall, while the capital Kyiv remains in government control.
Other companies that have cut links with Russia for now include Ikea, which yesterday said it will shut all its retail operations, in a move that affects around 15,000 workers across 14 stores.
The Football Association has suspended all matches against Russia due to the war in Ukraine, while Fifa has stripped Russia of the right to host matches.
And well-known CompareTheMarket adverts featuring meerkats with Russian accents are being pulled from TV news programming due to the war.
The adverts, which feature fictional wealthy Russian meerkat Aleksandr Orlov and a cast of supporting characters, have been running since 2009.
Finally, Visa and MasterCard have both blocked a number of Russian financial institutions from their networks, dealing another heavy blow to the country’s economy.
