Russian forum threatened by Western no-show

As many as 34 top Western managers have cancelled plans to attend a major economic forum in Russia this month as a result of the Ukraine crisis, a report said on Thursday.
The Saint Petersburg Economic Forum is touted as Russia's answer to Davos, an annual meeting of global business leaders which President Vladimir Putin has attended every year since 2005 and often uses to sign major deals and rub shoulders with state leaders.
But this year's guest list is looking increasing threadbare with 34 Western industry leaders, including the heads of Deutsche Bank and Siemens, cancelling their visit over the past month, according to Russian daily Izvestiya.
Western governments have piled pressure on company chiefs to stay away from the conference, and particularly to avoid Russian officials targeted by recent sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, many of whom are likely to attend, according to AFP.