Politics

Ukraine: These Famous Brands Have Pulled Out from Russia

Published

3 years ago

March 11, 2022

These famous Western companies are no longer doing business in Russia. Some of our favorite brands are cutting ties with the country due to pressure from investors and consumers.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, multinational companies have been forced to re-examine their ties with Russia.

Here are the world’s biggest brands that have pulled out from Russia due to the Ukraine invasion.

RETAILERS

IKEA

IKEA pulled out of Russia although its major chain of shopping centers, MEGA, will continue to operate. MEGA will continue to provide their customers with access to essentials.

The war has had a huge human impact already. It is also resulting in serious disruptions to supply chain and trading conditions. For all of these reasons, the company groups have decided to temporarily pause IKEA operations in Russia.

T.J. MAXX

Ticker Symbol: TJX

TJX, the owner of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls promised to divest its equity ownership in Familia, an off-price retailer with more than 400 stores in Russia.

H&M

Ticker Symbol: HNNMY

Retailer H&M had approximately 170 stores in Russia before pausing its sales due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“H&M Group is deeply concerned about the tragic developments in Ukraine and stand with all the people who are suffering. H&M Group has decided to temporarily pause all sales in Russia. The stores in Ukraine have already been temporarily closed due to the safety of customers and colleagues.”

ADIDAS

Ticker Symbol: ADDYY

Adidas said it would suspend its sales in Russia. The retailer cut only 1 percent from its expected revenue growth this year, so not a lot compared to the broader market in the U.S.

The company has approximately 500 stores in Russia and in the former Soviet states.

Adidas has also cut its partnership with Russian football union. Reuters.

TECH

AMAZON WEB SERVICES

Ticker Symbol: AMZN

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has stopped accepting new customers for its iCloud computing services.

“We have also stopped allowing new sign-ups for AWS in Russia and Belarus,” the statement on the company’s website said.

AWS has “no data centers, infrastructure, or offices in Russia” and their largest customers in the country are multinational corporations with local development teams, the company noted.

GOOGLE/YOUTUBE

Ticker Symbol: GOOGL

Google suspended advertising, including on its search and YouTube products.

“In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia,” the company said in a statement. “The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate.” Reuters.

APPLE

Ticker Symbol: AAPL

Apple has paused all sales inside of Russia and will stop all exports into the country in response to the invasion of Ukraine. OPB.

An Apple spokesman on confirmed that in addition to halting the sale of all Apple products inside of Russia, the company’s popular payment service, Apple Pay, is being limited in the country.

MICROSOFT

Ticker Symbol: MSFT

Microsoft also took the action of suspending its sales in the country.

“We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia,” Brad Smith wrote in a blog post on March 4 announcing the action. TechCrunch.

UBER

Ticker Symbol: UBER

Uber is hoping to ‘accelerate’ a planned sale of its remaining holdings in Yandex, a company that operates a ride-hailing service. Engadget.

“In light of recent events, we are actively looking for opportunities to accelerate the sale of our remaining holdings and, in the meantime, will remove our executives from the board of the joint venture,” Uber said.

TRAVEL & LOGISTICS

HILTON & HYATT HOTELS

Ticker Symbol: HLT

Hilton and Hyatt all moved to freeze new developments and suspend investments in Moscow and across the country, the companies announced. SKIFT.

Hilton’s corporate office was located in Moscow.

FEDEX, UPS, & DHL

FedEx, UPS, and DHL have all suspended shipments to and operations within Russia and Belarus.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and have contingency plans in place, including temporarily suspending inbound and outbound services to Ukraine and inbound service to Russia until further notice,” FedEx said on its website. The Hill.

Companies and brands temporarily closing

BOEING

Ticker Symbol: BA

Boeing is halting supply of aircraft parts to Russian airlines. Guardian.

Airbus has joined Boeing in halting the supply of aircraft parts and services to Russian airlines, squeezing its aviation industry amid the invasion of Ukraine.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Companies temporarily closing in Russia – brands that pulled out due to Ukraine war

HEINEKEN

Ticker Symbol: HEINY

Heineken is also closing operations in the country. WSJ.

Heineken NV said Wednesday it would stop the production, advertising and sale of the Heineken brand in Russia as a response to the escalation of the war in Ukraine.

MCDONALD’S

Ticker Symbol: MCD

McDonald’s is temporarily closing 850 of its restaurants in Russia. Washington Post.

Chris Kempczinski, chief executive of McDonald’s, said, “Our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine.”

STARBUCKS COFFEE

Ticker Symbol: SBUX

Starbucks is suspending all business activity in Russia, and its licensee will temporarily shutter locations there.

The coffee chain has about 130 outlets in Russia and Ukraine, according to Bank of America Securities. CNBC.

CEO Kevin Johnson wrote in a letter on Tuesday afternoon that the company would provide support to its nearly 2,000 employees who live in Russia.

COCA-COLA

Ticker Symbol: KO

The Coca-Cola company announced on March 8th that it is suspending its business with Russia.

“Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine.”

PepsiCo (Pepsi brands) suspended its sodas from Russia as well.

LITTLE CAESARS

Detroit-based Little Caesars is suspending all operations in Russia, which are all “franchise-owned,” amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Little Caesars CEO says the royalties from Russian operations will go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

MEDIA

NETFLIX

Ticker Symbol: NFLX

Netflix has suspended its streaming platform in Russia. No new Russian accounts will be able to sign up, and existing customers will have their subscriptions canceled during the next billing cycle.

“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia.” Polygon.

Wall Disney Pauses business in Russia — Companies temporarily closing in Russia

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

Ticker Symbol: DIS

The Walt Disney Company is pausing all of its business in Russia in light of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Disney had previously paused all theatrical releases in the country, but the new move takes things a step further.

The company says that it will be pausing “content and product licensing, Disney Cruise Line activities, National Geographic magazine and tours, local content productions and linear channels.

WARNER BROS.

‘The Batman’ movie release was halted by Warner Bros.

“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film ‘The Batman’ in Russia,” a spokesperson for WarnerMedia said in a statement.

Sony Pictures also announced plans to pause its plans to release “Morbius,” its upcoming solo film for the Marvel antihero, and all other upcoming theatrical releases in Russia.

AMC Theatres: The Most Anticipated Movies Coming in 2022

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Frank Nez

American Entrepreneur and Journalist. Frank Nez is the CEO of Nez Media Company and Founder of advertising agency Easy Marketing Concepts.

Politics

Robert Kiyosaki Says Musk Will Beat Communist Censorship with Twitter

Published

2 years ago

December 3, 2022

Frank Nez

Robert Kiyosaki on Elon Musk and Twitter

Rich Dad Poor Dad bestselling author Robert Kiyosaki says Musk will beat communist censorship with Twitter.

Robert explained in a tweet why Silicon Valley’s WOKE fear Musk:

“Musk is an entrepreneur. He does not need a job or money. He beat BIG BANKS with PAYPAL. He beat DETROIT with TESLA. He beat NASA with SPACEX. And he will beat COMMUNIST censorship with TWITTER. Thank you and GOD bless ELON MUSK.”

The Rich Dad Poor Dad author has been a strong Elon Musk advocate for quite some time.

The ‘Twitter Files‘ have recently become one of Twitter’s biggest topics, as it aims to explore and break down the suppression of Hunter Biden’s Laptop story coverup on the social media platform.

Former Twitter head of Legal Vijaya Gadde played a key role in censoring Hunter Biden’s story on Twitter.

Twitter pre-Musk received millions of dollars from Democrats to gain access to Twitter’s moderation tools.

The manipulation through censorship means Vijaya Gadde and others at Twitter meddled with 2020 elections.

Robert Kiyosaki says Elon Must will beat communist censorship with Twitter.

Mainstream Media Goes Silent

Evidence of one the biggest political scandals in history was revealed by the ‘Twitter Files’ on Friday but the media has gone silent.

It seems platforms who are publishing the story on the scandal are more focused on highlighting Elon’s approach and push on free speech rather than the actual events that occurred during the 2020 election.

It’s this continuous censorship from the media that is going to make Twitter one of the largest news and media social media networks on the planet.

Musk has boasted on how user engagement on Twitter has never been this high.

The public no longer wants to read propaganda spewed by mainstream media.

The people simply want the truth.

You can follow Nez Media Company on Twitter and on Facebook.

What’s your Reaction?

Frank Nez

American Entrepreneur and Journalist. Frank Nez is the CEO of Nez Media Company and Founder of advertising agency Easy Marketing Concepts.

Politics

Vijaya Gadde Played a Key Role in Election Meddling

Published

2 years ago

December 3, 2022

Frank Nez

The ‘Twitter Files‘ were published yesterday on a Twitter thread by Matt Taibbi where emails expose former head lawyer Vijaya Gadde as a key player in the interference of the U.S election in 2020.

Her role at Twitter included handling issues such as harassment, misinformation, and harmful speech.

High authority figures at Twitter, primarily with democratic affiliation, used moderation tools to cover up Hunter Biden’s laptop story published by New York Post.

Vijaya Gadde played a key role in censoring this story during the height of the 2020 presidential election.

Twitter, pre-Musk, was deleting content relating to Hunter Biden’s laptop scandal and even restricting high profile accounts to prohibit the story from reaching mass audiences.

The transmissions to share the story via direct message were also blocked, a tool that is reserved for extreme cases, such as child pornography, said Matt Taibbi.

Democrats paid more than $1.4 million between 2018 and 2022 to gain access to these moderation tools.

Republican parties paid around $25K during the same time period.

A Violation of the 1st Amendment

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna reaches out to Vijaya Gadde — Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna | Vijaya Gadde election meddling.

Democratic congressman Ro Khanna reached out to Gadde in efforts to hop on a call and discuss the backlash on ‘re speech’.

“Khanna was the only Democratic official I could find in the files who expressed concern, says Taibbi.”

“Hope you’re well Vijaya! But this seems a violation of the 1st Amendment principles. If there is a hack or classified information or other information that could expose a serious war crime and the NYT was to publish it, I think the NYT should have that right.”

“A journalist should not be held accountable for the illegal actions of the source unless they actively aided the hack. So to restrict the distribution of that material, especially regarding a Presidential candidate, seems not in the keeping of the principles of NYT v Sulivan“, said Ro Khanna.

Twitter users are calling Vijaya Gadde a criminal, inciting the former head of legal should be behind bars for meddling in the election.

What are your thoughts on the events that occurred?

Leave a comment down below and share this story.

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Frank Nez

American Entrepreneur and Journalist. Frank Nez is the CEO of Nez Media Company and Founder of advertising agency Easy Marketing Concepts.

Politics

Apple Threatens to Withhold Twitter from Its App Store

Published

2 years ago

November 29, 2022

Nez Media Team

Elon Musk has stated that Apple has threatened to withhold Twitter from its app store without explanation.

The people are now looking at Apple for conflicts of interest that could uncover the reason behind this strange move.

97.5% of Apple’s donations have gone to the Democratic Party.

Twitter allowing free speech is against the parties’ interests which could be a red flag for Apple considering bias opinions.

Social Media Politics — Apple democratic party poll – donations to midterm candidates by party.

Later, Elon Musk tweeted that the ‘Twitter Files’ on free speech suppression will soon be published on Twitter itself.

“The public deserves to know what really happened…”

Elon Musk has been attacked by mainstream media for pushing freedom of speech on Twitter, which isn’t democratic at all.

Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022

The need to control the masses by suppressing narratives poses a great threat to those with agendas.

One man who Twitter just reinstated their account after being banned is Andrew Tate, a highly respected and successful individual who most would consider a philosopher despite his entrepreneurial achievements.

Andrew Tate was cancelled from every social media platform due to his strong belief in freedom of expression and freedom of speech.

The media collaborated to remove Tate from empowering men and women who do not want the lives the government is imposing on the people.

Opinion: Free Speech Matters

Without free speech, there’s susceptibility to tyranny in our society.

Our government is growing stronger in many ways.

Laws built upon laws and an unlimited source of capital is giving government an unlimited surplus of power.

Yes, government should govern the people, but the people should also be aware of where to draw boundaries.

Mainstream Media Lashes

Twitter Freedom of Speech — Apple threatens to withhold Twitter from its app store | Twitter freedom of speech threatens parties.

The Street is saying Elon Musk is threatening Apple, instigating the ‘dangers’ of freedom of expression and freedom of speech.

Forbes has highlighted the drastic layoffs from Twitter and claims about the company hemorrhaging money since Musk’s takeover.

The question is, why wasn’t mainstream media magnifying Twitter’s losses before the takeover?

Was it because the social media giant was kept in line?

Twitter going private under Elon Musk is what took power away from those using Twitter under an agenda that aligned with policies and interests of certain parties.

But even Forbes admits that Twitter’s move from a public company to a private one controlled by Elon Musk has made many nervous.

Advertisers have pulled much of their budgets from Twitter over concerns of Elon Musk’s plan to ‘bolster free speech’ on the social app.

Opponents have suggested that this will see an increase in hate speech and negativity, on a platform that’s already known for its polarizing discussion.

In their defense, Musk and Twitter have continued to release data that shows that hate speech is at all-time lows and engagement is at all-time highs.