Is the Russia-Ukraine conflict having an effect on the global economy?
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has now become a worldwide economic issue. It is not only causing economic instability in Russia, but the ramifications are also threatening the world economy, causing financial markets to tremble and making life more dangerous for everyone from Uzbek migrant workers to European customers to hungry Yemeni families.
Russia and Ukraine have always been important exporters of oil, precious metals, wheat, and other commodities; the two countries account for less than 2% of world GDP.
According to sources, Russia’s economy will experience a dramatic economic recession and spike in inflation as a result of a barrage of Western sanctions. The probability of debt default is increasing.
Apart from the rouble, which has reached new lows, most Russian businesses have been closed since the West imposed severe sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, Russia’s elite are placing their capital into fine jewelry and watches to protect the value of their investments as sanctions are imposed.
Sales in Bulgari SpA’s Russian outlets have increased in recent days, according to the Italian jeweler’s CEO, after the global response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine significantly hindered the movement of funds.
To support Ukraine, several large corporations are exiting the Russian market. Influential Ukrainians, as well as many Americans, are running a social media campaign asking major corporations to cease operations in Russia.
Accenture announced the closure of its entire 2,300-person operation in Russia on Thursday, while McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group announced the suspension of all client activity in the nation, as the world’s leading professional services firms to join the exodus of Western enterprises from the country.
According to John Means PE, a partner at McKinsey & Co., “McKinsey is stopping all work in Russia as of today. As I continue to watch the horrifying actions of Russia in Ukraine, I appreciate how many companies are taking action to support Ukraine and withdraw from Russia. I’m grateful to my partners at McKinsey for our decision.”
Also, based on the report, Russia’s London-listed stocks had lost nearly all of their worth when trading was halted today. Sberbank was down 99.72 % year to date, while Gazprom was down 93.71 %, Lukoil was down 99.2 percent, Polyus was down 95.58 %, and Rosneft was down 92.52 %.
While Ukrainians seek a supportive initiative from various corporations, Ukrainian businesses are doing everything possible to prevent multinational corporations from operating in Russia. Due to the Coca-Cola Company’s continued participation in Russia, NOVUS, one of the largest Ukrainian grocery chains, recently declared that it will cease its cooperation with the company.
However, Ukrzaliznytsia evacuated almost a million people to safer regions. Ukrainians are transported using all available railway rolling stock. The firm also alerted the public about the evacuation flights on March 4. When a Ukrainian resident, Eugene Brovko, was asked about the situation and if he had any family in Kyiv, he replied, “yes, I have relatives in Kyiv right now. They joined the territorial defense forces and kept Kyiv from Russian invaders .”
