McDonald’s led a fresh exodus of the west’s biggest consumer brands from Russia on Tuesday, with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Starbucks and Unilever among those halting or cutting operations in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The first McDonald’s to open in Moscow in January 1990 was seen as one of the markers of the end of the Soviet Union, with more than 30,000 people queueing up to buy a burger.
On Tuesday, though, McDonald’s said it will temporarily close all of its 850 restaurants in Russia and suspend other operations in the country. Hours later, Starbucks said the local licensee that operates its 130 cafés in Russia would also “pause” operations immediately.