Russia Sanctions Risk Vuitton-to-Renault Products

A walk through Moscow reveals the threats to Western companies of Iran-style sanctions on Russia: Renault cars fill the streets, Zara and Louis Vuitton shops pull in consumers and Carlsberg A/S brews the beer of choice.

Now foreign companies face the prospect of untangling from a country that’s become a key trading partner with close financial ties to the West, as U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel threaten economic retaliation for Russia’s moves to annex the Crimean peninsula. Local residents will vote tomorrow on whether to renegotiate the autonomous region’s status within Ukraine or join Russia.