Bakhti Nisanov, an Eurasia specialist and a Soviet Union native, is oddly moved by the news.

“It is truly strange how I feel. He said that it felt almost as if there was no hope for the country.

This has huge symbolic significance: McDonald’s’s arrival in Russia (then part of the Soviet Union) was an implicit signal that Russia was open to business. Nishanov explained that Russia has been evicted by the company. This is an indication of how unfriendly Russia is to business.

Nishanov recalled how she read the first McDonald’s story in Russia, Yunniy Tehnik. The article was so fascinating and hypnotizing that I couldn’t help but be fascinated at the possibility of being a part the American culture McDonald’s represented.

“To a generation of Russians, McDonald’s — commonly referred to as MakDak — was a fascinating phenomenon,” he added. McDonald’s is clearly connected to American culture but is a part of Russian daily life and in some ways less alien or foreign than other brands. 

Economically, too, the departure is significant – McDonald’s employs 62,000 people across Russia. The number of job losses due to the departure of hundreds of foreign businesses is in the hundreds. 

McDonald’s announced that it will be selling its business which includes 847 restaurants. The company stated that Russia’s “humanitarian crisis” and an unpredictable operating environment have caused McDonald’s to decide that continuing to own the Russian business is not feasible or consistent with McDonald’s’ values.

Chris Kempczinski, the CEO stated that he was proud to have all company workers working in Russia. The decision was also “extremely difficult.” Kempczinski also stated that employees would continue to receive their salaries until the company is sold, and that they could still work with potential buyers in the future.

According to McDonald’s, McDonald’s will write off Russia’s exit costs of $1.2 billion to $1.4 trillion. The company said that closing down its Russian outlets for the first week had a significant impact on its earnings, and cost them $127 million in quarter last year. In 2021, McDonald’s revenues were 9% due to its Ukrainian restaurants and 8% from Russia.

Tricia Starks is a University of Arkansas professor of history and the author of “Cigarettes and Soviets” – a book about politics that also benefited from the influence of the golden arches.

“The American way of consumption was a crucial soft-diplomacy front in the Cold War … acquainting the Soviets with America’s material standards was another field of battle,” Starks said. This role was also played by Marlboro and Pepsi, both in 1972 and 1976 respectively. 

She said that McDonalds was a completely immersive experience of the sensual pleasures of capitalism, and not like a Marlboro pack or can of Pepsi. 

The experience was completely new. With smiles, greetings and shouts of “Can you help me?” The products were always of high quality and easily consumed. “The burgers were delicious!” 

Soviet residents were stunned by the change in culture. Staff would often smile at them, causing confusion. One Russian worker at McDonald’s opened McDonald’s in 1990 said to a reporter that when I smile people ask what’s up, and they believe I’m laughing at them.

“When you were done, a worker would come and whisk away the trash, and the showplace on Pushkin Square was kept clean despite the thousands who would come by through the day — some of them waiting hours to spend a full month’s wages on dinner for a family of four,” Starks described, noting that customer service was simply not a concept in the USSR. McDonald’s was known for its service.

Some Russians don’t feel so bad about their golden arches being removed. 

“Hello Americans … We want to thank you for all your sanctions, for taking away from our country Coca Cola, KFC, McDonald’s and all that sh–. “By summer, we’ll be strong, healthy and free from ass fat,” Russian comedian Natasha Krasnova said in a March Instagram post that received more than 5,000,000 views. 

Russians are strongly in favor of replacing Western brands with Russian-made ones. They can now make their own hamburgers and other fast food items. A few have advocated the substitution of American food for local cuisines, since many Russians are against Western symbols. 

Russians are bitter that they have to face the negative consequences of wars they didn’t choose. These consequences are nothing compared to what has been done to Ukraine where hundreds of civilians were killed and many cities have been reduced to rubble.

However, as Russia’s war drags on, the sanctions against Russia become more severe, the time will show how many Russians will leave their country to seek a better world. How many will remain loyal to Russia, while others will turn against this world. 

Nishanov doesn’t just care about McDonald’s. He sees it as something more. 

“McDonald’s leaving Russia hits many of my generation differently,” he said, “I think because it represented — and I know this sounds dramatic —  hope and optimism. Putin’s Russia, as it is now, has seen its company leave.