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Running Head: MCDONALD’S CLOSURE IN RUSSIA

McDonald’s Closure in Moscow

Name
Institution
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MCDONALD’S CLOSURE IN RUSSIA

Question 1: Consider Russia’s actions against McDonald’s. Do you believe that Russia’s
move against McDonald’s is politically motivated or do you think that McDonald’s has
actually violated sanitary policies? In your opinion, does McDonald’s position as a symbol
of Western ideals invite the attack? Could the company have done anything to prevent it?
The closure of McDonald’s fast food restaurant was met with different reactions by the

agency, the US, the Russian customers, and the international community. The main reason that

the Russian government was that there were sanitary reasons behind the closure. This is at a time

when tension between Russia and the US were high due to the Ukraine crisis, and the US and

European Union had sanctioned Russia (The Moscow Times, 2014). Moscow’s decision could

be taken as a hit back to the western countries.

McDonald’s operates more than 430 fast food restaurants in Russia, and this makes it a

symbol of the western countries. This means that hitting on the restaurant sends a big message to

the US in economic terms given that Russia is one of the largest external markets. The tit for tat

due to sanctions is also well illustrated by the fact that Russia had also banned several Western

countries from importing food including the United States, Canada, Norway and the E.U over the

Ukraine issue.

According to Balmforth (2014), some of the customers at McDonald’s also see the move

as political given the bad relations between the two countries. In my view, McDonald's has not

violated any sanitary rules; otherwise, the restaurant would not be allowed to open its chain in

Moscow. In addition to that, restaurants in Moscow were not the first to close over the Ukraine

struggle as more McDonald's restaurants had closed in Crimea after being annexed by Russia.

The restaurant could not have done anything to prevent the closure since the move was

politically motivated and the accusations on it being a health risk are false. Other than harming

the fast-food chain, the closure has caused harm to suppliers most of whom are from Russia, the
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MCDONALD’S CLOSURE IN RUSSIA

more than 36,000 employees who work, and customers who enjoy their snacks in the restaurant

(Herszenhorn, 2014). McDonald's, on the other hand, does not take the move as political and its

statement to Russia was that it was working on the accusation to ensure the restaurants are

reopened.
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MCDONALD’S CLOSURE IN RUSSIA

References

Balmforth, T. (2014). Moscow's McDonald's Fans Not Lovin' Closure. Retrieved from

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-moscow-closes-mcdonalds/26542785.html

Herszenhorn, D. M. (2014). A Fast-Food Symbol of America Falls in Moscow. The New York

Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/world/europe/mcdonalds-a-

fast-food-symbol-of-america-falls-in-moscow.html

The Moscow Times, (2014). Russia Suspends Operations at 4 McDonald's Restaurants in

Moscow. The Moscow Times. Retrieved from

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/08/20/russia-suspends-operations-at-4-

mcdonalds-restaurants-in-moscow-a38552