McDonald’s removed its signature “Golden Arches” sign from one of its locations near Moscow on Monday following an earlier announcement that it was withdrawing from the Russian market as a consequence of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The fast-food giant removed its sign from a McDonald’s location in Khimki, a Russian city several miles north of Moscow, beginning a process that will occur at McDonald’s restaurants across the country after over 30 years of serving Russian customers.
In March, McDonald’s announced it would temporarily suspend its operations within the Russian Federation after facing public opposition to its continued involvement in the nation helmed by President Vladimir Putin. Shortly thereafter, the void began to be filled by local knockoffs such as “Uncle Vanya,” a McDonald’s imitator which rotated the company’s “Golden Arches” logo to form the Cyrillic character “В.”…