Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman pauses hiring in Russia

(Reuters) - Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman Corp said on Thursday it has paused hiring for its own distribution business in Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The company, which gets about 1% of its sales from Russia and has about 80 employees in the country, said on an earnings call it had initially planned to hire more workers for its own distribution business there, which was set to be operational in July.

Currently, Brown-Forman sells its spirits and wine through third-party sellers in Russia. The company did not comment on whether it would stop sales in the country.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its second week and more than one million refugees have now fled Ukraine. Many U.S. companies have been withdrawing sales and pausing operations in both countries since the start of the invasion.

Earlier today, Brown-Forman's European peer Diageo paused exports to both the countries and said its priority is the safety of its people in Ukraine and the wider region.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)