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The American company announced it on Monday. McDonalds has 850 restaurants and 62,000 employees in Russia.
The company hopes to find a buyer who will ensure that jobs are not lost.
Russia’s first McDonalds restaurant opened in January 1990, just two months after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Pushkin Square restaurant in Moscow was the first American fast food restaurant in the Soviet Union and was seen as a sign of a new political era and greater openness.
McDonald’s closed all of its restaurants in Russia in March this year when the war in Ukraine broke out, and the burger chain has since spent time trying to figure out what to do. Now it’s on sale.
– The humanitarian crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine and the unpredictable situation have led McDonald’s to conclude that the continued ownership of the company in Russia can no longer be defended. It’s also not compatible with McDonald’s values, the company wrote in a press release.
Those buying the restaurants will not be allowed to use the McDonalds name, logo, marketing materials or menus, the fast-food chain said.
Several other Western companies suspended their activities in Russia after the war. Russian authorities have made it clear that they are ready to nationalize foreign ownership, and some leaders have assured Russians that their favorite brands will be replaced locally.
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