Summary
Moscow warns that Western companies that left Russia after its invasion of Ukraine will face consequences if they return.
Russian industry minister Anton Alikhanov stated, “There will be a price to pay for past decisions,” emphasizing a focus on domestic and Eurasian partners.
Nearly 475 firms, including McDonald’s and Ikea, exited following sanctions, though some may consider returning post-war.
Experts note that political, reputational, and economic challenges—amid ongoing inflation, tight monetary policy, and Putin’s authoritarian control—will likely deter a rapid re-entry by Western companies.
Eh, the sentiment has always been ‘fuck russia’, it’s a pain. If someone comes up with a good reason to reenter the russian markets and everyone think it’s profitable and legal enough to get away with, they’ll bring it up at their company and will probably be successful, but a lot of us are very happy we didn’t have to worry about that for a few years.
This statement is driving down the perceived profitability though, so probably bought us a bit more time.
There is only so much effort companies can do, they might just continue their focus on other markets.