FAST food titan McDonald's yesterday announced the temporary closure of its Russian venues while Unilever and Starbucks also said they would suspend operations.

McDonald's said it would be pausing operations in Russia amid the conflict and humanitarian crisis in

Ukraine, with CEO Chris Kempczinski announcing the news to McDonald's employees and franchisees via email.

Kempczinski said the brand's ethos meant "we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine.".

In a statement, food and beverage giant Unilever said it condemned the war as a "brutal and senseless act by the Russian state."

The company said it would halt marketing spend as well as halting all imports and exports.

"We will not invest any further capital into the country nor will we profit from our presence in Russia."

Meanwhile Starbucks announced last night it would pause operations at all 130 of its stores in Russia.

(c) 2022 City A.M., source Newspaper