Ukraine designated the international fast-food company Subway as an international sponsor of war, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention reported on 11 January.
The decision comes amid allegations that Subway’s continued operation in Russia indirectly supports the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. This designation is a part of Ukraine’s strategy to isolate Russia economically and diplomatically.
Over 500 Subway restaurants continue operating in Russia, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes to the Russian federal budget.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, the company did not report any reduction in its activities in Russia.
According to the NACP, Subway advertises through Russian social media networks VK and Classmates, which belong to the sanctioned Vkontakte LLC. The American fast food company also delivers food via Yandex services, which cooperate with the country’s state and law enforcement agencies attacking Ukraine. Earlier, Yandex services were also included in NACP’s list of candidates for sanctions.
Subway now ranks as the 49th international company on this list, joining the ranks of other major corporations like Philip Morris International, AliExpress, and Bacardi.
In November 2023, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention added Swiss corporation Nestlé to its list of international sponsors of war due to its continued operations in Russia, according to an announcement on the NAZK.
In total, NACP has included over 30 companies in the list of international sponsors of the war since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the head of the agency, Oleksandr Novikov, announced at a briefing in Zhytomyr, Ukrinform reported.
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