MOSCOW—More than a dozen former McDonald’s restaurants reopened here under a new brand and new ownership, accompanied by a marketing blitz aimed at convincing Russians that the new chain’s burgers are as good as the American version.
Officials also used the reopenings—including that of McDonald’s first restaurant in Russia, near Moscow’s Pushkin Square—to project a narrative of Russian economic resilience in the face of international sanctions and an exodus of Western businesses from the country. McDonald’s Corp. and other Western companies have pulled out of Russia in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. They have cited a number of reasons for doing so, including the difficulty of doing business in Russia amid the sanctions.
