Not all Western companies sever ties to Russia over Ukraine

By TALI ARBEL
AP Business Writer

A shrinking number of well-known companies are still doing business in Russia even after hundreds of others have announced plans to curtail ties. The pace of businesses exiting Russia accelerated over the past week as the deadly violence and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsened, and as Western governments ratcheted up economic sanctions to punish Russia for its two-week-old invasion. The companies that still have a presence in Russia say they have franchise owners or employees to consider; they don’t want to punish Russians by taking away food or medicine; or they provide software or financial services for Western businesses that aren’t easy to replace.