A Russian McDonald’s fan dramatically chained himself to a restaurant in Moscow today in a desperate attempt to prevent it from closing.
The man, believed to be Luka Safronov, was filmed protesting just hours before the fast food giant shut down across the country in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
McDonald’s, which employs 62,000 people in Russia, announced the temporary closure of 850 restaurants in Russia earlier this week in response to the war.
Many fast food fans have been devastated by the strike, with meals now selling online in the country for up to £255.
Meanwhile, a furious Luka took to the streets on Sunday, chaining himself to the door of a restaurant to fight its closure to the bitter end.
Footage shows the angry Russian shouting: “Closing is an act of hostility once morest me and my fellow citizens! »
Hungry customers can be seen walking past him as they go to get their last fill up at the restaurant.
Others can be heard laughing as crowds of onlookers gather and police approach, reports Financial Times journalist Max Seddon.
The sensible cops can finally be seen dragging Luka through the crowd, signaling the end of the protest.
In an open letter to employees, McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempckinski said closing his stores, for now, was the right thing to do.
He said: “As we move forward, McDonald’s will continue to assess the situation and determine if further action is needed.
“At this stage, it is impossible to predict when we will be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia.
“We are experiencing disruptions in our supply chain as well as other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation. »
A number of companies have now ceased operations in Russia in protest once morest the war in Ukraine.
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Starbucks is suspending operations at 130 stores, while Pepsico inc announced the suspension of sales of Pepsi-Cola and global beverage brands in Russia, including 7up and Mirinda.
Anti-war demonstrations also took place across Russia over the weekend to protest once morest the Russian-led conflict.
Russian police arrested more than 800 people for protesting once morest Moscow’s “military operation” in Ukraine on Sunday, as the conflict continues for a third week.
OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during protests, said police arrested 817 people during protests in 37 cities across Russia.
An AFP journalist reporting on a protest in the capital Moscow witnessed at least a dozen arrests and said police took away anyone without press papers.
A young woman shouted “peace to the world” as she was led away by two police officers, the journalist said.
Some members of the riot police had the letter “Z” in the colors of the Russian flag on their helmets, the AFP reporter said.
The letter, seen on Russian tanks and vehicles in Ukraine, has become a symbol of support for what Moscow calls its “special military operation”.
Law enforcement in Moscow said on Sunday evening that they had arrested around 300 people in the center of the capital for disturbing public order.
In Russia’s second city, Saint Petersburg, AFP saw several arrests, including a protester dragged on the ground.
Boycott of Russia
A number of large companies suspend their services in Russia or withdraw from the country
- Adidas
- American Express
- Apple
- BP
- Coca Cola
- Disney
- H&M
- Honda
- Ikea
- MasterCard
- Mazda
- McDonalds
- Microsoft
- Maternal care
- Netflix
- Pay Pal
- Pepsi
- Playstation
- Prada
- Spotify
- Starbuck
- ICT Tac
- Unilever
- Victoria’s Secret
- Visa
