McDonald’s withdraws entirely from Russia

The American fast food giant McDonald’s, which closed its stores in Russia in early March, announced on Monday that it was withdrawing from the country and selling all its activities in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We are committed to our global community and must remain adamant about our values,” Group CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a company statement. “Respecting our values ​​means that we can no longer keep the Arches (McDonald’s logo, editor’s note)” in Russia, he added.

30 years in the country

Present in Russia for over 30 years, McDonald’s has 850 restaurants and 62,000 employees. The company had announced the temporary closure of all its restaurants and the suspension of its operations in the country on March 8, following in the footsteps of other multinationals which had distanced themselves from Moscow.

“The humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and the resulting unpredictable economic environment led McDonald’s to conclude that the continuation of our activities in Russia was no longer tenable or consistent with our values,” said the American giant.