ATLANTA — Coca-Cola announced Tuesday that it is suspending business in Russia.
The Atlanta-based company had faced backlash for not pulling out of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
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“Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine,” the company said in a news release. “We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve.”
Activists gathered in Centennial Olympic Park last weekend to rally for a boycott of Coca-Cola to pressure the company to stop doing business in Russia.
“I feel that the entire civilized world has to be very clear right now with their position, and that this is unacceptable,” Max Poliashenko said.
The hashtags #BoycottCocaCola and #BoycottCoke trended on Twitter and Facebook.
Also on Tuesday, Coke rival PepsiCo announced it would suspend sales of soda in Russia, but it would still “provide essential foods.”
Dozens of companies have announced they would stop doing business in Russia, including tech, oil, entertainment and financial companies.
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