Subway, one of the world’s leading fast-food sandwich chains, has become the latest addition to Ukraine’s list of “international sponsors of war” after refusing to suspend its operations in Russia. According to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), there are more than 500 Subway locations within the Russian Federation…and their tax revenue is apparently critical to funding Vladimir Putin’s attacks on Ukraine.
In a press release published on Wednesday, the NACP said that the Connecticut-based sandwich purveyor has continued to operate 500 restaurants in 122 Russian cities, seemingly unaffected by the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. Additionally, Subway has kept up its advertising through Russia’s state-sponsored outlets and makes deliveries through Yandex, the country’s main search engine.
“The company says it is concerned about the health of consumers, but continues to work in Russia, financing the murder of Ukrainians,” the NACP said. “After the start of the full-scale invasion, the company did not report any reduction in its activities in the Russian Federation. Thus, in addition to paying taxes to the state budget of the terrorist state, the company provides jobs to Russians, supporting the Russian economy and employment.”
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Subway has operated in Russia for more than 20 years and is currently the third-largest sandwich chain in Europe.
The company’s corporate leadership has previously made statements in solidarity with Ukraine, saying “Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and we are committed to supporting those impacted by the tragic events in the region.”
While Subway has provided meals for Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war, it cannot force the Russian locations to close given the company’s franchise business model that allows stores to operate separately.
However, Ukraine has deemed this to be an insufficient excuse and demands that Subway take a stronger stance against the country’s rival.
Subway now joins an ever-growing list of other companies blacklisted by the NACP. This list also includes many other international food companies like PepsiCo, Nestle, Bacardi, and Mars, as well as Proctor & Gamble and Philip Morris.
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Connor Walcott is a staff writer covering politics, culture, and business for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X (Twitter).
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