In this study, we seek to shed light on the drivers of MNE exits from Russia. Central to our argument is the notion of national security, which we define based on the international relations (IR) literature. We propose that national security concerns create institutional pressures for MNEs to exit from a host market that is engaged in an economic war with the home country. These institutional pressures work in combination with other organizational antecedents, such as the MNE’s prior legitimacy record and its exposure to the host market, determining whether the firm exits or not from the host market.
