Heineken on Wednesday announced suspension of its operations in Russia over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Dutch brewer which employs 1,800 people in Russia and maker of Zhigulevskoe and Oxota brands for Russian local market, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday. 

“We are shocked and saddened to watch the tragedy in Ukraine unfold,” Heineken chief executive Dolf van den Brink said. “The Russian government’s war against Ukraine is an unprovoked and completely unjustified attack.” 

Mr Brink added that “Heineken will no longer accept any net financial benefit derived from our Russian operations.” 

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a development condemned globally, the European Union, the U.S. and a host of other nations have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, including global brands leaving the country. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola announced their exit from Russian market, while major firms like McDonalds, Accenture, Meta, Toyota, Google, etc., have suspended their services and operations in Russia.