Russia Set To Open Its First McDonald's Replacement

Earlier this month McDonald's announced it would close all 847 of its restaurants in Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

McDonald's first arrived on 31 January, 1990, during the final months of the Soviet Union. 30,000 people were reported to have queued the first day it opened.

The chain became a symbol of American capitalism in the country, but is now in the midst of temporary closure of 847 branches that had 62,000 employees altogether, though the company said it will continue to pay staff salaries in Russia.

Now, fast-food chain Uncle Vanya's could be set to take the place of McDonald's, with the brand recently filling a familiar-looking trademark.

The application for the logo was reportedly filled by Vyacheslav Volodin, Russia's state duma chairman, and now footage of the new fast-food chain has been shared to Twitter, with the infamous logo seen in the video.

People were quick to react to Uncle Vanya's on Twitter, with one user writing 'bc bonalds', a reference to the new logo looking like a 'B'.

However, some said that the move was nothing new, with one user writing: "Bastardising the McDonald's Golden Arches has been a widespread thing in Russia for decades. This is a popular chain of shawarma stands."

Journalist Ally Marotti also weighed in on the conversation, noting: "Uncle Vanya's was just the beginning. Several trademark apps were filed with the Russian gov using McDonald's name or the Golden Arches. I talked to trademark lawyer @JoshGerben, who's working w/ a Ukrainian lawyer to translate filings."

McDonald's isn't the only business to have suspended trading in Russia since Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Starbucks, Netflix and Heineken are among those who have halted operations and, according to Huffington Post, copycat chains are already being set up to replaced them.

One such brand was 'Star Ducks' copy, and we wonder who inspired them...

Topics: World News, Ukraine, Uncle Vanya's, McDonald's, Russia