Western companies that announced their plans to cease operations in Russia after a special military operation was launched are still continuing their activities in the country. The Washington Post’s article says this.
dzen.ru
The newspaper cites expert estimates that “of the hundreds of companies that promised to leave Russia” after the start of the special military operation, “only a small percentage” did so. As the paper stresses, “the Western companies that stayed behind often rely heavily on business in Russia, the losses from leaving probably outweighing the possible damage to their brands”. “Some businesses have even grabbed greater market share in light of the departure of their competitors,” the paper notes.
“Many others have said they will suspend operations or scale down their operations, but continue to trade. Some have said they will sell Russian assets but are still looking for buyers or trying to reduce the costs of exit,” the paper says.
As the article states, “the continued presence of so many companies undermines Washington-led efforts to crush the Russian economy”. This, according to the paper, “allows Russians to maintain the same level of comfort and the same quality of life” that they had before the special military operation.
In particular, the article states that BMW and Mercedes-Benz Group, as well as Apple “have announced that they are stopping sales and operations” in Russia. At the same time, as the paper specifies, “their products and other Western luxury brands are widely available, in some cases as a result of semi-legal imports.
The article also cites data from researchers at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. They estimate that less than 9 percent of companies from the EU and G7 countries have left Russia in connection with the special operation.
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