Once the symbols of freedom and democratisation, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Levi’s led the widely mediatised exodus of Western companies from Russia in protest to its invasion of Ukraine starting from February. Flashy headlines were accompanied by haunting pictures of emptied and sealed luxury department stores, boutiques and fast food venues. The departure and divestment of major brand names that associate their host countries with the Western Democratic World, such as Visa and Mastercard, LV...