Calls to boycott Coca-Cola grow after company refuses to pull out of Russia

Calls to boycott Coca-Cola products reached a fever pitch Friday afternoon as the beverage company reportedly signaled it would continue doing business in Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine.

Three Ukrainian supermarket chains announced they would remove Coca-Cola products from their shelves, and #BoycottCocaCola became the No. 1 national trending Twitter topic Friday afternoon after a spokesperson for the beverage company's exclusive bottler in Russia reportedly told a Russian state-owned news agency that it would continue all business operations in the country.

“This shameless company continues to work for the invaders in full strength,” the Ukrainian supermarket chain Novus said in a statement, according to the Kyiv Independent.

WESTERN CORPORATIONS FLEE RUSSIA EN MASSE, CITING SANCTIONS AND A MORAL IMPERATIVE

Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported late Thursday that the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, the bottling company with exclusive rights to distribute Coca-Cola products in Russia and 28 other countries, had no plans to cease operations in Russia.

"All operational, production, and logistics facilities of Coca-Cola in Russia are working. We are fully responsible to partners, society, and thousands of our employees in Russia. Our top priority is the safety of our employees," a Coca-Cola HBC spokesperson told TASS.

The Coca-Cola Company did not return multiple requests for comment from the Washington Examiner.

#BoycottCocaCola was the number one trend across the United States on Twitter Friday afternoon. (Screenshot) (Twitter/Screenshot)

Some critics contrasted Coca-Cola's posture toward Russia with its forceful condemnation of the U.S. state of Georgia in March 2021 after its governor, Brian Kemp, signed voting reform legislation into law.

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincy went on national television and called the Georgia legislation "unacceptable" and a "step backward," adding that "this legislation is wrong and needs to be remedied, and we will continue to advocate for it both in private and ... even more clearly in public."

While Coca-Cola did issue a statement Thursday offering monetary support for humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine amid the invasion, the statement did not offer any condemnation of Russia or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Scores of Western companies in the energy, technology, entertainment, retail, automobile, and other sectors have suspended operations in Russia since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in late February.

The British energy company BP, Russia's largest foreign investor, could see a $25 billion loss following its announcement Sunday that it will exit its 19.75% stake in the Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft.

BP Chairman Helge Lund said the company's involvement in the state-owned enterprise "simply cannot continue" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Russia, in turn, has maneuvered to slow the corporate exodus from its country, signaling that companies will be prevented from selling their Russian assets until international sanctions are lifted.