A Conservative MP has backed calls for dozens of Marks & Spencer stores across Russia to be shut immediately, suggesting Vladimir Putin is funnelling every rouble made in the country into the invasion of Ukraine.
Alicia Kearns, who hosted four Ukrainian parliamentarians in the House of Commons on Thursday, said any profits generated would be tainted by the killings and war crimes committed during the conflict.
Two weeks ago, M&S stopped supplying its Turkish franchisee’s businesses in Russia, which has 48 shops and 1,200 employees. However the stores remain open and continue to sell their existing stock.
Some other chains that operate in Russia by franchise, such as McDonald’s, have been able to close their doors, given the agreements differ between companies.
Alyona Shkrum, a Ukrainian MP who met senior UK government figures including the prime minister, Boris Johnson, on Thursday, called for Britain to put more pressure on firms still operating in Russia.
“The UK has been very active in leading – they were one of the first countries with a lot of companies to leave, but there are still three big companies who haven’t left,” she said, adding: “Marks & Spencer has not left Russia.”
Shkrum said all money generated in Russia “goes just to the army” and added that there had been several reports of invading troops raping Ukrainian women.
Another Ukrainian MP, Maria Mezentseva, added: “Everything that is contributed to the Russians is coming back severely with bloody bullets to innocent Ukrainians.”
Kearns backed the call for all M&S shops in Russia to close and raised concern about the reports of “sexual violence” committed by soldiers. Referencing the M&S advertising slogan, she said: “This isn’t just any food, it’s blood and rape food.”
Speaking to the Guardian, Kearns added: “It is wrong that some British businesses continue to operate, because all they are doing is buttressing Putin’s brutality and funding his war coffers.”
M&S said in a statement that it did not operate stores or have any employees in Russia and the franchise licensee held the rights to trade under the firm’s banner in both Ukraine and Russia.
A spokesperson added: “We suspended deliveries to our franchise licensee’s Russian business two weeks ago and have no plans to reinstate them. We are actively discussing the future of the business with our franchise licensee.”
Chris Bryant, a Labour MP and chair of the parliamentary group on Russia, told the Commons that other multinational companies still doing business in Russia included the fast food chain Subway and the tax advisory firm Baker Tilly.
Subway said it had no corporate operations in Russia and that its 450 franchised restaurants in the country were all independently owned and operated.
Baker Tilly International said it would “separate member firms in Russia and Belarus from our global network” and not “serve government clients or state-owned enterprises of Russia or Belarus, or sanctioned entities and individuals”.
No 10 reiterated its call on businesses to “do nothing that could potentially support Putin’s regime and indeed do everything to put pressure on him to change course”.
