Putin waves a sarcastic goodbye to foreign business departing Russia
Feb 9 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin waved a sarcastic farewell on Thursday to foreign businesses which have left Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, saying their departure would benefit Russian companies.
Speaking to senior officials at a meeting broadcast on state television, Putin said those companies had suffered major losses as a result of exiting a large and lucrative market.
"Today many of them (Western brands), under pressure from their governments, are leaving our market. All the best to them," he said, briefly waving his hand in a farewell gesture.