Mar 14, 2022: According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Russia’s authorities, facing potential economic calamity as Western sanctions take hold, have threatened foreign companies hoping to withdraw from the country with arrests and asset seizures.

“The warnings have prompted at least one of the targeted companies to limit communications between its Russian business and the rest of the company, out of concern that emails or text messages among colleagues may be intercepted, some of the people (familiar with the matter) said,” as per reports in the Wall Street Journal.

Russian prosecutors have issued warnings to several foreign companies – via calls, letters and personal visits – including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, IBM and Yum brands, KFC and Pizza Hut’s parent company, citing sources familiar with the matter.

They have threatened to arrest officials critical of the government or confiscate assets, including intellectual property.

The prosecutor’s office on Friday meanwhile ordered ‘strict control’ of companies that had announced a suspension of their activities in Russia, warning especially of increased monitoring of labor legislation compliance, under penalty of prosecution.

Russia has faced extraordinary sanctions imposed by Western governments since the invasion of Ukraine, with a growing list of companies announcing plans to withdraw or suspend operations there.

Russian officials have stepped up efforts to prevent money from flowing out of their borders and to support the ruble, which has already seen a sharp fall in value against the dollar.

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