Moscow McDonald’s Branches Shuttered in Sanctions Tit-for-Tat

Russian authorities have closed four McDonald’s restaurants over “health violations.” But western analysts see the move as a purely political response to sanctions imposed upon Russia in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea and the Russian military support being given to separatist rebels in Ukraine.

The flagship Pushkin Square McDonald’s, the first branch to be opened in Russia, in 1990, is one of four branches shut down by Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian consumer-safety regulation group, who said that “sanitary violations” forced the closures. Rospotrebnadzor said they will continue to inspect other branches of McDonald’s in Russia for health violations.

Employees of the Pushkin Square McDonald’s confirmed that the restaurant had been closed, but wouldn’t provide any more information. McDonald’s said they “will do everything to ensure that the restaurants open as soon as possible” and will look into the allegations, Russia Today reports.

The European Union and United States imposed economic sanctions on those around Russian president Vladimir Putin and on key Russian economic sectors, including finance and energy, for Moscow’s support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. In response, Russia has banned fruit and vegetable imports from countries that supported the sanctions — notably apples from Poland— as well as meat and dairy products from the U.S. and Europe. Food exporters in the EU stand to lose up to $9 billion in sales from the ban, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

The closure of the Moscow McDonald’s branches is the latest tit-for-tat measure by the Russian consumer rights agency. Belarusian dairy products and Georgian wine have also been recent targets. Both countries saw their products banned by Moscow when they started deepening relations with western nations, the Guardianreports.

Tensions between Russia and McDonald’s extend back to July when the Novgorod branch of the consumer group filed a suit against the fast food chain for food safety violations. The suit claimed that the protein, carbohydrate, fat and calorie content of certain burgers and milkshakes “deviate widely from technical norms,” the Guardian reports. Three McDonald’s restaurants in Crimea were shut in April and have remain closed after the region’s annexation by Russian troops in March, The Wall Street Journalreports.

The question now looming is what western businesses could be next in the battle over sanctions.  

Long lines snaked around the Pushkin Square restaurant when it opened in 1990, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, as Russians waited to get their first taste of America. There are now 435 McDonald’s in Russia.