Kathrine Frich
Big global brands often feel untouchable.
They plant their flags around the world and usually rely on their home governments for a shield. Now, that invisible layer of protection seems to be vanishing in one war zone.
A quiet campaign
Foreign factories are taking heavy hits in Eastern Europe. Facilities tied to major American names like Boeing, Coca-Cola, and Philip Morris have suddenly become frequent targets in a very deliberate campaign.
The New York Times cited by United24media reported on May 12 that Russian forces are hunting these corporate sites. Drones and cruise missiles regularly strike the buildings.
A recent attack in mid-April showed the sheer scale of the assault. Seven Russian drones smashed into a massive grain terminal owned by the US farming company Cargill in just three minutes.
Hiding the damage
The targeted businesses are mostly keeping quiet. They want to avoid scaring off their investors.
Behind closed doors, corporate leaders are begging Washington for help as the damage adds up. Andy Hunder heads the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine.
He stated that Moscow clearly wants to “stop American business coming into Ukraine.” Months ago, a missile hit a western Ukrainian plant owned by the US electronics firm Flex Ltd.
The strike injured 15 people at a site that simply builds coffee makers.
Washington stays silent
Despite the growing destruction, the Trump administration has not publicly condemned the attacks. According to The New York Times, the White House has only acknowledged the strikes internally.
This approach has sparked intense frustration in Kyiv. Olha Stefanishyna, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the US, highlighted a glaring double standard.
Washington previously told Ukraine not to bomb a Russian oil terminal because American companies held a stake in it. Yet, the US government says nothing when its own factories are destroyed by Moscow.
Setting a dangerous rule
Politicians in America are starting to notice. Senator Jeanne Shaheen recently supported a bipartisan resolution against the strikes, pointing out that the official White House reaction “has been silence.”
Ukrainian officials believe Russia is trying to scare away long-term commercial partnerships before they can take root. They worry about the global message this sends.
Former Ukrainian deputy economy minister Oleksandr Romanishyn told The New York Times about the long-term risk.
“Either Washington sends a credible signal that American businesses will be protected,” he said, “or it quietly accepts a precedent that other authoritarian regimes will study very carefully: that you can attack US-linked companies abroad and face only rhetorical concern.”
Sources: The New York Times, United24media
