Coca-Cola faces boycott after upsetting Russia and Ukraine

Coca-Cola is facing a boycott of its soft drinks in Russia and Ukraine after causing protests with a series of errors in the maps used in its Christmas advertising campaign.

The drinks giant laid the blame on its marketing agency, which sketched out a map that initially left out the Kaliningrad region west of Lithuania and the Kuril Islands, offshore Siberia.

After a Russian protest, the map was redrawn but now also showed Crimea was part of Russia, which led to protests from Ukrainians still smarting from Russia's annexing of the peninsula in March 2014.

Only a few countries have recognised Crimea’s incorporation into Russia.

Coca-Cola said: “We, as a company, don’t support any political movements. The company has removed the post and apologises for the situation that occurred."

Nevertheless, Ukrainian member of parliament Mustafa Nayyem has called for a local boycott of the company's products.

Shares in Coca-Cola were down 0.3% to $42.43 in the US, while European bottler Coca-Cola HBC was flat at 1,428p.