A McDonald’s manager in Russia has told of a climate of fear and queues outside stores due to aftershocks from the invasion of Ukraine.
Andrei said ‘I love my country’ but is opposed to the war and wants to move abroad to protect his mother from the financial repercussions.
He told Metro.co.uk he does not attend protests because ‘you can to jail for a long time’ and ‘everyone is afraid’ of showing dissent to Vladimir Putin.
McDonald’s announced two weeks ago that it is temporarily closing its roughly 850 restaurants in Russia.
Andrei, from Moscow, is among millions of ordinary Russians who are bearing the consequences of the invasion, which has brought swingeing economic sanctions since it began 28 days ago.
Queues have been reported outside stores across the country, with runs on items such as milk and sugar prompting memories of the Soviet era.
Andrei, who is in his mid-20s, supports protesters who have made shows of defiance on the streets and in the media that were rare or unheard of during Mr Putin’s reign prior to the war.
He lives with his mother, who he supports financially, and they have family in the UK but are finding financial and travel channels cut off as Russia becomes increasingly isolated on the world stage.
‘After the attack on Ukraine, many global brands began to leave Russia, from cars to food,’ Andrei said. ‘I can no longer pay for purchases in the store with the usual payment method, Apple Pay.
‘Due to the growth of the dollar, all products have risen sharply in price.
‘There are long queues in stores and there are not always enough goods.
‘Now it turns out that we have a huge amount of imported goods and in this regard we will face even greater shortages on the shelves in stores.
‘My mother and I have begun to save more, but we are not the only ones, all of my friends face the same problems.’
The Moscovite began working for McDonald’s in 2014 while he was at university and has climbed his way up to a senior position.
The global chain – a symbol of Russia opening up to capitalism when it launched its first restaurant in Moscow three decades ago – had come under pressure to leave the country because of the war.
Other major international firms, including Ikea, have also suspended their activities in the country, leaving thousands of employees stuck in limbo.
McDonald’s Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski has said it is ‘impossible to predict’ when the restaurants will reopen.
Andrei was among colleagues who received an email from the chain stating that ‘our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine’ and laying out the support it would give to staff.
‘The company has temporarily suspended its activities and continues to pay everyone’s wages,’ he said.
‘We all hope that we can return to our normal work schedule so I haven’t been looking for a new job yet. I think that this decision was forced on the company, as there were problems with suppliers and logistics.
‘This is just my opinion as we do not have exact information why the company decided to suspend its activities.’
Russians have been hit on multiple fronts by the fallout from the war, including through the suspension of electronic payment systems such as Visa and Mastercard and the steep fall of the rouble.
The invasion has also brought a costly human toll that is said by Western analysts to have claimed the lives of 10,000 Russian troops to date.
Shows of dissent on the streets have led to scenes of protesters being dragged away by security personnel clad in body armour. Yet the acts of defiance have continued despite the threat of repercussions from a government widely accused of war crimes and human rights violations.
Andrei, speaking under an assumed name, said: ‘I am completely against any military action, I believe that in 2022 all world problems should be resolved exclusively by peaceful means and through negotiations.
‘Now the people are very much intimidated, everyone is afraid to go to rallies, because now you can go to jail for a long time for this.
‘Even people going to pickets without signs are detained. Despite the fact that I love my country very much, now I want to leave in order to protect my mother from what is happening here.’
Andrei spoke after Mr Putin appeared at a rally held in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium to mark the eighth anniversary of the Russian annexation of Crimea.
The president hailed the current ‘special operation’ in Ukraine as a ‘success’ in a speech to 100,000 people.
However, Andrei told Metro.co.uk the mass celebration of national pride was not all it appeared to be.
‘Events like this concert in Russia are always driven by people working in state institutions,’ he said. ‘They scare people with lay-offs so that they go to such pro-government events.’
Russian military advances on key cities in Ukraine have stalled, according to Western analysts, with fears that Mr Putin will escalate the use of indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas.
On the domestic front, queues for basic goods and social media posts purportedly showing scrambles for items such as sugar have sparked comparisons with Soviet times. Officials have blamed panic buying and maintained that the shortages are an artificial crisis.
In a public address reported by The Guardian, Viktoria Abramchenko, a Russian deputy prime minister, said: ‘As in 2020, I want to reassure our citizens now: we fully provide ourselves with sugar and buckwheat.
‘There is no need to panic and buy up these goods – there are enough of them for everyone.’
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