McDonald's announces to be reopening restaurants in parts of Ukraine

Despite Russia's war in the country showing no sign of abating into its fifth month, Western businesses are starting to restart operations in Ukraine.

McDonald's said this week that it is moving forward with plans to reopen businesses in parts of the country in the midst of a war.

We have spoken to many of our employees who want to come back to work and see our restaurants open again. Paul Pomroy, corporate senior vice president of international operated markets at McDonald's, wrote in a statement that the belief that this would support a small but important sense of normality has grown stronger.

McDonald's will be reopening restaurants in parts of the country that are safe, such as western Ukraine and the capital city of Kyiv. The company will be gathering supplies and bringing employees back over the next few months.

Russian forces tried to capture the western regions of the country in the early days of the war, but were pushed back by a strong Ukrainian resistance. Russia has occupied areas in the south and east of the country while the Ukrainians are trying to regain control of the area.

According to Pomroy's statement, McDonald's has been in operation in Ukranian since 1997 and counted over 100 restaurants when it paused its business on the day of the war. According to Pomroy, the company has continued to pay its Ukrainian employees and has set up an assistance fund to help them deal with the war.

McDonald's decision to end operations in Ukraine anticipated a similar exit from Russia weeks later, as the company weighed the impact the decision would have on McDonald's 62,000 Russian employees and billions of revenue. McDonald's sold hundreds of its restaurants in Russia to a Russian businessman and Mcdonald's franchisee in May.

According to an analysis from the World Bank, the country's economy is expected to shrink by 45% this year due to the war.

McDonald's could be the first sign that Western businesses are ready to return to the country. In March, Swiss food producer Nestlé became the first Western operation to reopen factories and warehouses in the central and western parts of Ukraine, where it employs around 5,000 people.

During the war, Ukrainian businesses were unable to open their doors. According to a survey by Gradus Research, around half of Ukrainian-owned businesses have reduced their hours. Only 22% of businesses worked the same hours as before the war started.

According to the survey, around half of Ukrainian businesses are considering relocating to other parts of the country or abroad.

If you sign up for the email list, you will be kept up to date with our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.