Big brands and oil ban punish Russia as Moscow makes new pledge on Ukraine refugees

Fire fighters extinguish fire in an oil depot that Ukraine's State Emergency Services say was caused by Russian strikes in Zhytomyr region, Ukraine March 7, 2022 in this still image obtained from a handout video. State Emergency Services of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON/LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - A U.S. ban on imports of Russia's oil ratcheted up punishment for the invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday as McDonald's and Starbucks closed outlets and Moscow promised safe passage for some people to flee.

As the number of refugees created by the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two surpassed 2 million, several of the most internationally famous brands added to the Kremlin's global isolation on the 13th day of the incursion.