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March 8, 2022
McDonald’s is temporarily shuttering its nearly 850 stores in Russia and putting the brakes on operations as of today.
The QSR launched its first store in Pushkin Square 32 years ago. The temporary closures come as U.S. based businesses are feeling pressure to stop any Russia related operations given the Russia invasion of the Ukraine that began nearly two weeks ago, according to a New York Times article.
“For 66 years, we have operated with the belief that communities are made better when there’s a McDonald’s nearby,” Chris Kempczinski, CEO, said in a statement that noted the brand had 62,000 workers in Russia and worked with hundreds of Russia-based partners and suppliers.
“In the 30-plus years that McDonald’s has operated in Russia, we’ve become an essential part of the 850 communities in which we operate,” he said.
The company will continue to pay salaries for employees in Russia, as it has for its workers in the Ukraine.
