Ahmad 
Thousands of Western companies retracted their decision to leave the Russian market after calculating the losses and bureaucratic obstacles they would incur if they left Russia, according to the Financial Times.
The newspaper said that several reasons forced Western companies to reconsider their decision to leave, including “bureaucratic losses and obstacles,” as they risk giving up their assets and having their funds and accounts in Russia frozen or confiscated.
One executive who works with Western companies in Russia told the newspaper: “Many European companies find themselves between a rock and a hard place, as they have been given the option of selling their business on terms that are unacceptable to them.”
The newspaper explained that more than 2,100 international companies, including Avon, Air Liquide, Reckitt, Unilever, Nestle, and Philip Morris, are still operating in Russia since 2022. In contrast, about 1,600 companies have left or reduced their activities.
The General Manager of the American company Mondelez International previously confirmed that his company would continue its business in Russia, and the shareholders did not insist otherwise.
He noted that the administration is trying “not to enter into a confrontation or make provocative statements, but simply to continue its work in Russia,” noting that the Russian authorities do not want Western companies to leave the country, nor force them to do so.
The Financial Times reported that the opinions of the heads of Western companies have changed dramatically, as they wonder whether it is necessary to leave Russia, especially since some of them have built 4-5 factories over 30 years, and they will not sell them at a loss of 90% of their value, as the Russian government requires. Companies that decide to leave.
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