Passer-by on Sadovnichesky Bridge in MoscowMOSCOW, Mar 14The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal scares Western companies with the words of anonymous sources about the threats of arrests of top managers who criticize Russia and the seizure of assets. Earlier, Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia party Andrei Turchak said that the party proposes to nationalize the production of those companies that announce their withdrawal and the closure of factories in Russia during a special operation in Ukraine. According to the American edition, the Russian authorities issued warnings to a number of companies, including McDonald's, IBM and the owner of KFC Yum Brands. The warnings were addressed, the newspaper claims, to companies in various sectors, including technology, food, clothing and the banking sector. According to people familiar with the matter, representatives of the prosecutor's office paid visits and also made calls to these companies. They allegedly threatened to sue them and confiscate their assets, including their trademarks.EU hopes to approve new anti-Russian sanctions March 14 One of the companies has limited communication with the Russian branch due to concerns that email and other communications could be intercepted. Other companies, the sources noted, have withdrawn their executives from Russia. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. With the support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive. But there is no question of the occupation of Ukraine, the President of Russia emphasized. In response, Western countries introduced new anti-Russian sanctions. In particular, several of the largest banks in the Russian Federation, including Sberbank and VTB, fell under them. The European Union, the USA, Canada and a number of other countries have closed the skies for Russian aircraft. A number of state-owned companies found it difficult to attract foreign capital. Sanctions have been imposed on the supply of high-tech products to Russia. Many major brands have announced they are suspending their activities or leaving Russia.
Any sanctions have a boomerang effect, Slutsky said
