أعمال
الشركات الغربية تحسب كلفة وقف أعمالها في روسيا
April 22, 2022 - الشركات المتعددة الجنسيات تواصل دفع ما لا يقل عن 188.000 موظف مقرهم في روسيا على الرغم من التعهدات لتعليق الأنشطة أو إنهائها هناك، مما يزيد في حدة المخاوف من الطرد الجماعي أو التأميم.
In what is being called the “Great Business Retreat,” more than 400 foreign companies are divesting or suspending operations in Russia in response to crippling Western sanctions over President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has warned that “about 200,000 employees are at risk of losing their jobs.” An analysis by the Financial Times calculates that just seven multinationals are responsible for more than 144,000 Russian jobs. The losses and write-downs of leaving Russia could cost them some $13.5 billion.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians will feel the economic pain of losing their jobs. For example, McDonald’s alone owns 847 restaurants -- of its global total of over 38,000 -- and has 62,000 employees across the country. McDonald’s says the closure of its Russian restaurants would cost it about $50 million a month.
Oil and gas giant Shell announced on March 8 that it would stop buying Russian hydrocarbons and shut all its service stations in Russia, starting immediately. The world’s largest liquefied natural gas trader will write down up to $5 billion following its decision to exit Russia.
How Putin will react is unclear. The Russian state may step in and nationalise foreign companies’ property and assets, which would slow the bleeding but not stop it.
- Companies count the cost of ditching Russia (Reuters)
- Almost 200,000 workers in Russia remain on multinationals’ payrolls (Financial Times)
- Carlsberg Flags Big Write-Down on Russia Exit (Wall Street Journal)
- Renault Sales Beat Expectations Despite Russia Drag, Chip Woes (Bloomberg)
- Ikea latest business to shut down in Russia (Personnel Today)