Select McDonald’s restaurants will reopen in Kyiv starting tomorrow, the company’s Ukraine head of corporate communications confirmed, the latest symbol of Ukraine’s success in repelling the Russian invasion.

Three restaurants in the Ukrainian capital will not open for delivery until September 20, followed by several more venues in Kyiv and across the country further west a week later.

The restaurants will then resume normal operations in October, with evacuation plans in place in the event air raid sirens are set off by an incoming threat, according to communications director Alesya Mudzhyri.

Meanwhile, in Russia, former McDonalds restaurants have been closed and rebranded after the American fast-food giant became one of thousands of Western companies to pull out of the country during the war in Ukraine.

Three restaurants in the Ukrainian capital will not open for deliveries until September 20, followed by several other venues in Kyiv and across the country further west with a week delay (A man walks past a closed McDonald’s restaurant the day after Russian in the Center of Kyiv, Ukraine, past tanks rolled across the border)

McDonald’s head of communications in Ukraine, Alesya Mudzhyri (left), said restaurants will only be supplied for a few weeks before restaurants resume normal operations in October (only delivery sign shown at right).

Mudzhyri announced that restaurants on Bazhana Avenue, Gagarin Avenue and Hryshka Street would be the first McDonald’s to reopen in the capital from September 20, with seven more to follow shortly.

“The newly opened restaurants will operate to the same high standards of food quality, cleanliness and speed of service as before,” the communications chief announced in a social media post.

Mudzhyri added that restaurants will remain open from 9am to 9pm and close “when air raid sirens go off to allow staff and guests to evacuate to the nearest accommodation” – but not before the team “quickly issue any orders already paid.”

McDonald’s will offer its McDelivery service in partnership with Spanish fast-food retailer Glovo until it’s ready to reopen all stores full-time.

In Russia, former McDonald’s restaurants have been rebranded after the fast-food giant decided to shut down operations in the wake of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The new chain “Vkusno i tochka” – which translates as “Yummy, and that’s it” or “Yummy, period” – emerged after McDonald’s sold its franchise to a Russian businessman in June.

Vkusno i tochka reopened on June 12 with a rebranded menu, a new storefront and sleek staff uniforms, but consumers were less than thrilled with the quality of food on offer.

Less than a month after the chain first opened, executives issued a statement to Russia’s Tass news agency, explaining that a poor potato harvest in 2021 meant several restaurants were unable to serve fries.

The McDonald’s surrogate fast-food chain in Russia, Vkusno i tochka, is running out of its staple fries and has been forced to temporarily shut down operations

Customers have complained about mold on the buns of their burgers at several branches

Vkusno i tockha’s uniforms are almost identical to McDonald’s worker outfits and the old gear was left behind as part of the exit deal

However, Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture made an amusingly hawkish statement on Telegram entitled “There are potatoes – and that’s it,” contradicting Vkusno i tochka’s statement that it could not source domestic potatoes.

“The Russian market is fully supplied with potatoes, including processed ones. In addition, crops from the new crop are already arriving, eliminating the possibility of shortages,” the ministry said.

The conflicting statement came just days after the chain was caught serving moldy burgers to stuffed customers, suggesting it was also struggling to source fresh burger buns.

According to Ksenia Sobchak, a popular TV star and the most prominent politician in the Russian opposition, eaters at several outlets have complained about mold on the buns of their burgers.

Russia’s rebranded McDonald’s restaurants were caught serving moldy burgers to stuffed customers after the US chain left the country over its invasion of Ukraine

More than three decades ago, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first McDonald’s in Russia opened in the middle of Moscow.

It was a powerful symbol of the easing of Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.

McDonald’s was the first American fast food restaurant to open in the Soviet Union that collapsed in 1991.

The decision to leave the company came as other American food and beverage giants, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Starbucks, paused or closed operations in Russia in the face of Western sanctions.

Russian businessman Alexander Govor, who ran 25 McDonald’s branches in Siberia, bought all of the company’s 847 branches in May to launch Vkusno i tochka.

Mr. Govor is also a co-owner of Neftekhimservis, a construction company that operates an oil refinery.

McDonald’s operations in Russia accounted for around 9 percent of annual sales, equivalent to approximately US$2 billion (£1.48 billion).

Iran’s anger continues after the death of a young woman arrested by vice squads. On Monday, new demonstrations took place mainly in Tehran and Mashhad. At the same time, the police continue to deny any responsibility for this death.

On Monday evening, on Hejab Street (“Muslim veil” in Persian) in central Tehran, “several hundred people chanted anti-authority slogans, some of whom removed their hijab,” Fars Agency said.

“Buncons and tear gas” against the crowd

A short video broadcast by this agency shows a crowd of several dozen people, including women, who have removed their veils and are shouting “Death to the Islamic Republic”. “Police arrested several people and dispersed the crowd with batons and tear gas,” Fars said. A similar gathering was held in Mashhad, the country’s first holy city in the northeast, Tasnim news agency reported.

On September 13, Masha Amini was arrested in Tehran by the Deputy Police, a unit responsible for enforcing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s dress code, for “wearing inappropriate clothing”.

Very strict rules for women

In Iran, covering your hair in public is compulsory. This policy also prohibits women from wearing short coats above the knee, tight pants and jeans with holes, or colorful outfits.

The young woman fell into a coma after her arrest and died in hospital on September 16, according to state television and her family. Activists called his death “suspicious,” but Tehran police said there was “no physical contact” between police and the victim. The young woman’s death sparked a wave of anger across the country. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has asked for an investigation to be launched to stem the protests.

An “unacceptable” death according to the EU

Tehran’s police chief, General Hossein Rahimi, has again denied the “unfair allegations against the police”. “There was no fault on our part. We have conducted investigations (…) and all the evidence shows that there was no negligence or improper conduct on the part of the police.” “This is a regrettable incident and we never want to see such incidents happen again.”

Many filmmakers, artists, athletes, political and religious figures have expressed their anger on social media. Abroad, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Monday condemned the “unacceptable” death of this young woman and called on the authorities to punish those responsible. France, for its part, described the arrest and death in custody of this young Iranian as “deeply shocking” and also called for a “transparent investigation to fully elucidate the circumstances of this tragedy”.

There is resistance to the planned cut in EU funds worth billions for Hungary. After the Polish government, the Italian far-right also backed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday. The EU Commission is taking “Orban into the arms of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” criticized Giorgia Meloni, head of the far-right post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia party.

According to polls after Sunday’s general election, Meloni could become Italy’s new prime minister. She told the newspaper Il Giornale (Monday edition) that Brussels was dividing the 27 member states and using “the rule of law as an ideological weapon to target those who are not aligned”. The EU Commission on Sunday proposed cutting €7.5 billion in subsidies to Hungary. She accuses the country of corruption and other serious violations of fundamental rights.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki then announced that his country would oppose cutting funding for Hungary “with all its might”. The Commission wants Hungary to cut 65% of the money from the so-called cohesion fund, which is used to develop disadvantaged regions. Whether the 7.5 billion will actually be canceled is a question for member states. A qualified majority is required for a decision: at least 15 EU countries representing 65 percent of the European population.

Criticism of the European Parliament

Brussels diplomats warn that this quorum may no longer be reached after a right turn in Italy. The European Parliament therefore criticizes that the European Commission has waited too long with the recommendation on Hungary. MEP Daniel Freund (Greens) urged the EU in Deutschlandfunk to freeze all funding to Hungary until Orban implemented constitutional reforms.

It is uncertain whether EU states will quickly vote on the €7.5 billion. European ministers responsible for the rule of law meet this Tuesday in Brussels, but Hungary is not on the agenda.

According to reports, the vote in the Council of Ministers could only take place in November or even mid-December. The commission noted on Sunday that Hungary intends to implement “measures to rectify the situation” by 19 November. Among other things, Budapest is planning an anti-corruption agency. (apa)