Pressure mounts on corporate America to cut ties in Russia. Abbott, Baker McKenzie latest Chicago companies to pull back.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches its third full week, public pressure is mounting for American companies that have not already done so to cut ties from the country.

North suburban-based Abbott Laboratories announced this week it had suspended “nonessential business activity” in Russia, while global law firm Baker McKenzie said Tuesday it will cut ties with its lawyers there.

The news follows a slew of announcements in recent days from Chicago-based corporations from McDonald’s to Kraft Heinz that are pulling back operations in Russia or suspending trade with the country while offering humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine.

“People worry about the perception that by doing business in that country, they may be propping up or contributing to a war effort that by and large the American public does not support,” said Mark Brandau, a group manager at the Chicago-based food industry market research firm Datassential.

Abbott’s announcement that it will suspend nonessential activities like advertising and new investments came 10 days after an initial company statement condemned the war and highlighted Abbott’s humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, but failed to mention whether or not the company would suspend its operations in Russia.

“As a health care company we have an important purpose, which is to preserve and restore health and save lives. We do this in more than 160 countries. Healthcare products including food, medicine and medical products are generally exempt from sanctions for humanitarian reasons,” the company’s most recent statement said.

In an email, divisional vice president Scott Stoffel said the “vast majority” of the company’s business in Russia was in branded generic medicines, including medicines for oncology, women’s health, pancreatic insufficiency and liver health. Stoffel declined to provide the number of Abbott employees located in Russia.

AbbVie, a biopharma company headquartered in Lake Bluff, operates an office in Moscow through its Allergan subsidiary but does not have manufacturing plants in the region. AbbVie director of media relations Frank Benenati did not respond to a question regarding whether that office was open. In a March 11 statement, AbbVie said it had suspended operations for its aesthetics products in Russia.

“We are committed to ensuring our patients in Ukraine, Russia, and throughout the region continue to have access to our essential and life-saving medicines,” the statement said.

On Tuesday, Baker McKenzie, which has offices in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, announced its Russian operations would become independent. The firm thanked its 260 employees in Russia while condemning the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We will not act for any individuals or entities that are controlled by, or directly linked to, the Russian state and/or current regime, anywhere in the world. We remain fully focused on the safety of our colleagues in Ukraine and the wider region,” the company said.

Chicago-based global law firm Winston & Strawn announced March 10 it would close its Moscow office.

“Winston continues to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting loss of life, destruction, and needless suffering,” said chairman Tom Fitzgerald in a statement. “We are closing our Moscow operations out of a sense of solidarity with the Ukrainian people. This decision is simply the right thing to do, and our clients understand and respect that.”

In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing Tuesday, United Airlines revised its first quarter flight capacity down slightly from its earlier guidance, citing in part “flight cancellations associated with current geopolitical conditions.”

The Chicago-based carrier has stopped flying in Russia, suspended agreements with Russian carriers and prevented customers from using credit card payments from Russia on its app or website. The suspension of Russian airspace affected some flights to India, with the airline temporarily suspending service between San Francisco and Delhi and between Newark and Mumbai. United said it planned to continue flights from Chicago and Newark to Delhi.

And in perhaps the highest profile move, McDonald’s announced it would close its 850 restaurants in Russia last week.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company would continue to pay both its Ukrainian and Russian employees. The company employs more than 60,000 people in Russia, he said.

“At this juncture, it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia,” Kempczinski said in a statement, citing supply chain and other operational disruptions in addition to the humanitarian situation in the region.

Several Chicago-based food companies are cutting ties in the region. Kraft Heinz said it had suspended both the export of its products to Russia and the import of products from the country, as well as all new investments there.

Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said in a statement last week that while company had “limited sales and no physical assets in Russia,” it had suspended all exports of its products to the country, as well as the license to produce any of its brands there.

Early in the invasion, The Associated Press reported that vodka brand Smirnoff had become the victim of a misconception that it was Russian-made. Now, Smirnoff’s homepage clarifies the brand is owned by Diageo, a British company, and that it is produced in Plainfield, Illinois, as well as in a host of countries including Canada, Italy, Brazil and Argentina — but not in Russia.

In a statement, a Diageo spokesperson said the company had suspended exports of its products to Russia and Ukraine, and declined to say whether the company had seen its sales affected by the misconception that the company was Russian.

Brandau, of Datassential, noted that for American food manufacturers, the financial cost of no longer exporting their products in Russia could be less of a problem than a lack of imports from Russia and Ukraine, such as wheat and other agricultural commodities.

Some locally-based companies have suspended some of their operations in Russia but maintained others.

That includes snack producer Mondelez, which said it was “scaling back all nonessential activities” in Russia while “helping maintain continuity of the food supply during the challenging times ahead.” The company did not respond to request for comment regarding which activities it had suspended and which would continue.

About $1 billion, or 3.5%, of Mondelez’s revenue comes from Russia, according to Yale School of Management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who keeps a list of companies which have withdrawn or are still operating in Russia.

Agricultural processor Archer Daniels Midland Co., which is headquartered in the Loop, said in a March 11 statement that it was scaling down its operations in Russia. “Our footprint in Russia is very limited, and we have made the decision today to scale down operations in Russia that are not related to the production and transport of essential food commodities and ingredients,” the statement said.

Chicago-headquartered Hyatt Hotels & Resorts said March 11 that though it had suspended development activities and any new investments in Russia, it would continue to operate its hotels in the country. “We will continue to support our colleagues in Russia as they continue to care for hotel guests,” the statement said.

Public relations expert and CEO of Ericho Communications, Eric Yaverbaum, said companies that are maintaining operations in Russia should be transparent with consumers about their choices.

“I’ve got to raise an eye as a consumer,” Yaverbaum said of the vague language some companies are using to describe their partial withdrawal from the region. “What does that mean?”

“Explain it to people,” Yaverbaum said. “But nobody’s doing that. Corporate America, who thinks that they can PR in the gray zone, you can’t.”

Caterpillar Inc., the construction manufacturer headquartered in Deerfield, said March 9 that it had suspended operations in its Russian manufacturing facilities. “Operations in Russia have become increasingly challenging, including supply chain disruptions and sanctions,” the statement said.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that it had obtained an internal document showing Caterpillar has continued to use the country as a supply-chain route, with its rail shipments continuing to cross Russia.

Caterpillar did not respond to a request for comment.

Chicago-headquartered plane manufacturer Boeing said it had suspended the purchase of Russian titanium. Prior to the invasion, roughly one-third of the company’s titanium was sourced from Russia.

“Our inventory and diversity of titanium sources provide sufficient supply for airplane production and we will continue to take the right steps to ensure long-term continuity,” the company said in a statement.