Swedish store IKEA has suspended operations after being a major presence in Russia since 2000.
Dozens of Western businesses are following suit and freezing their operations on the Russian market directly or indirectly due to Western sanctions.
When IKEA arrived it was seen as hugely symbolic of the break with the Soviet past.
As the retailer quits Russia, there are fears that USSR-style autocracy is returning.
But shoppers swarmed stores to pick up bargains in Moscow and St Petersburg ahead of suspension of operations, as well as in Siberian outlets in Omsk and Novosibirsk, which also shut their doors today along with other locations.
The company was also pausing operations in autocratic Belarus, ally to Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine.
“The war has had a huge human impact already,” said IKEA in a statement.
“It is also resulting in serious disruptions to supply chain and trading conditions.
“For all of these reasons, IKEA has decided to temporarily pause operations in Russia.”
It has been one of the largest Western employers in Russia.
“The devastating war in Ukraine is a human tragedy, and our deepest empathy and concerns are with the millions of people impacted,” said the company.
“These decisions have a direct impact on 15,000 IKEA co-workers, and the company groups will secure employment and income stability and provide support to them and their families in the region.”
