McDonald’s Temporarily Shutting Down its Restaurants in Russia

Tuesday McDonald’s announced that its restaurants in Russia will temporarily shut down.

“McDonald’s has decided to temporarily close all our restaurants in Russia and pause all operations in the market,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement.

The move comes as many western companies have decided to cut ties with the country due to its invasion of Ukraine.

“In Russia, we employ 62,000 people who have poured their heart and soul into our McDonald’s brand to serve their communities. We work with hundreds of local, Russian suppliers and partners who produce the food for our menu and support our brand,” Kempczinski said. “And we serve millions of Russian customers each day who count on McDonald’s. In the thirty-plus years that McDonald’s has operated in Russia, we’ve become an essential part of the 850 communities in which we operate.”

He added, “at the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine.”

McDonald’s joins Ikea, Apple, Visa, Mastercard and several other companies that have ceased operations in Russia.