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McDonald's halts Russia operations after backlash over Ukraine war, fans queue for last meal

Russian fans rushed to grab one last meal as McDonald's decided to temporarily close its 850 outlets in the country

Between continuous pressure from people to stop its operations in Russia and #BoycottMcDonalds trending on Twitter, popular fast-food franchise McDonald's has decided to temporarily close all of its 850 outlets in the country. Meanwhile, Russian fans were seen rushing to grab one last bite at the restaurant.

Long queues were spotted outside the fast-food chain, with lines stretching for nearly half a mile outside many outlets. Video footage showed cars lining up in a Moscow drive-thru, while other pictures showed customers lining the streets on foot in the snow to have one last meal before McDonald's shuts down due to the international outrage of the Russia-Ukraine war.

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"In Russia, after the news about the closure of McDonald's, queues lined up in front of restaurants. The establishments of this network are still working, but delivery has already disappeared from local online services," a tweet read.

Other pictures showed desperate Russians waiting it out in blisteringly cold temperatures for their favorite McDonald's snacks. "Russians waiting in massive queues after McDonald's announced closure of all 850 restaurants in Russia #Ukraine #Russia #McDonalds," said another tweet.

"The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people. As a system, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace. Our number one priority from the start of this crisis has been – and will remain – our people. The situation is extraordinarily challenging for a global brand like ours, and there are many considerations," said McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski in a statement released.

"For 66 years, we have operated with the belief that communities are made better when there's a McDonald's nearby. 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. 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 continued.

"At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine. Years ago, when confronted with his own difficult decision, Fred Turner explained his approach quite simply: 'Do the right thing'. That philosophy is enshrined as one of our five guiding values, and there are countless examples over the years of McDonald's Corporation living up to Fred's simple ideal," he added.

"McDonald's has decided to temporarily close all our restaurants in Russia and pause all operations in the market. We understand the impact this will have on our Russian colleagues and partners, which is why we are prepared to support all three legs of the stool in Ukraine and Russia. This includes salary continuation for all McDonald's employees in Russia." At this juncture, it's impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia. We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation," Kempczinski concluded.

One user shared an image of the queues forming because of the shut-down along with an image of the queues formed when McDonald's was first launched in Russia, back in 1990. "Ironically, freedom in Russia came along with the queues at the newly opened McDonald's at Pushkinskaya; now it has died along with the same queue, but at the McDonald's that is closing down. #Russia #USSR #freedom #stopwar #ukraineconflict #ukrainecrisis #UkraineWar".

BBC News correspondent Steve Rosenberg tweeted, "In 1990 I was in the queue when McDonald's opened its 1st restaurant in Moscow: when iron curtains were crumbling & Russia was embracing the West. Today McDonald's announced it is temporarily closing its 850 restaurants in Russia. Hugely symbolic."

"OK FOLKS.. I see that McDonald's are closing down their 850 outlets in Russia. I was the very first customer in the first McDonald's ever to open in the USSR in Pushkin Square Moscow in 1990 and was given this badge to commemorate the event.. I had a quarter pounder with cheese," reminisced another user.

Apart from McDonald's, cafe company Starbucks and beverage corporation Coca-Cola have also decided to shut their operations and outlets in Russia.