News Trending War

Burger King’s Russian partner “refuses” to close locations

By 860 0

Despite demands to close the 800 Burger King locations in Russia, the company’s owner said the operator “refused” to do so. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Restaurant Brands said it had contacted its local partner, Alexander Kolobov, to close the stores.

However, it stated that “complicated” contracts with overseas partners prevent it from “walking away” from these agreements. Many Western companies have shut down or suspended operations in Russia. However, a small number of companies, including Burger King and UK retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S), have been unable to do so due to “complex” legal arrangements involving franchise partners. “We contacted the main operator of the business and demanded the suspension of Burger King restaurant operations in Russia,” Restaurant Brands International president David Shear wrote in a letter to employees. “He has steadfastly refused to do so.” Mr. Shear went on to say that any changes to the local Burger King would “ultimately require the support of Russian authorities on the ground, which we know will not happen anytime soon.”

Burger King first arrived in Russia ten years ago. It trades there through a joint venture with Mr Kolobov, who is the business’s main day-to-day operator, as well as VTB Capital of Russia and a Ukrainian investment firm. VTB Capital is a subsidiary of VTB Bank, Russia’s second-largest bank, which has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European countries. Restaurant Brands owns a minority 15 percent stake in the Russian joint venture, which is currently being wound down, according to Mr. Shear. “While we would like to do this right away, the terms of our existing joint venture agreement make it clear that it will take some time,” he said. Meanwhile, Restaurant Brands has ceased to support Russia’s supply chain, operations, and marketing. It will also turn down new investment and expansion proposals in Russia.

Following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Western companies are still under pressure to leave the country. A group of four Ukrainian MPs told UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday that M&S is still open in Russia. Meanwhile, German automaker Audi has warned that the conflict in Ukraine will disrupt supply chains “significantly.”

“We will see tremendous interference with all supply chains, not just the chip business, but any international supply chains,” said Hildegard Wortmann, an Audi executive.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Putin is looking for foreign volunteers to fight in Ukraine’s war

By 881 0

Foreign volunteers are needed to fight Ukrainian forces, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He said those who wanted to volunteer to fight alongside Russia-backed forces should be allowed to do so at a Russian security council meeting.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, said 16,000 volunteers were ready to fight alongside Russia-backed forces in the Middle East.

Syrians skilled in urban combat, according to US officials, could be among them.

Syria has long been a Russian ally, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been a vocal supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s civil war.

“If you see that there are these people who want to come to help the people in Donbas on their own volition, not for money,” Mr Putin told his defence minister, “then we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone.”

Mr. Shoigu also proposed transferring captured Western anti-tank missile systems to Russian-backed rebel fighters in the Donbas region’s breakaway Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Foreign fighters, including former and current members of the British army, have been arriving in Ukraine to fight for Kyiv’s government.

Mr Zelensky recently stated that 16,000 foreigners had volunteered for the cause, forming a “international legion,” as he put it.

Charles Lister, a Middle East Institute analyst in the United States, questioned how useful Syrian forces would be to Mr Putin.

“If [President] Assad’s regime sends troops to Ukraine, they’ll be nothing more than cannon fodder in a battle and environment they’ve never experienced,” he wrote on Twitter.

He went on to say that there was no evidence of any actual recruitment of Syrians.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Pasha Lee, a Ukrainian actor, killed in a Russian bombardment

By 891 0

Pasha Lee, a Ukrainian actor, was reportedly killed in a Russian airstrike on the town of Irpin, just outside of Kyiv.

According to the report, the 33-year-old Ukrainian actor and Irpin resident enlisted in Ukraine’s territorial defense force during the war’s early days. In addition, the report stated that Russian artillery bombarded Irpin for days, causing casualties.

Residents of Irpin and the north-eastern city of Sumy were able to leave on Tuesday as part of a Russian evacuation corridor en route to the central city of Poltava, according to the report. Lee has acted in a number of films, and his voice can be heard in the Ukrainian adaptations of The Lion King and The Hobbit.

Lee also appeared in a number of films and TV talent shows, including Star Factory and X-Factor. Lee posted a link to a Ukrainian refugee charity a few days before he was killed, encouraging his followers to contact them for assistance or to volunteer. His most recent Instagram post is a photo of himself and a coworker with the message “we’ll be ok and everything will be Ukraine.”

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright