Moscow residents rushed to snag McDonald's meals before the fast-food chain shut its restaurants in Russia

There were long lines at McDonald's restaurants in Moscow on Wednesday ahead of the fast-food chain's temporary closing of its outlets across Russia.

Cars lined up outside of McDonald's in Moscow and Russians in winter clothing were shown in the footage.

Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images

Chris Kempczinski, the CEO of McDonald's, announced in a memo that the company would be closing all of its restaurants in the country indefinitely.

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The opening of the first McDonald's in Russia was seen as a sign of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the thaw of Cold War relations.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/Associated Press file photo

Kempczinski said it was impossible to predict when McDonald's would reopen its restaurants, but the company would closely monitor the situation.

Starbucks and Coca-Cola said on Tuesday that they would suspend their operations in Russia, aligning themselves with the sanctions imposed on Russia by the Western governments.