McDonald's has revealed this afternoon that it will permanently quit Russia over the war in Ukraine.
The company has said it will be selling off its locations in the country and 'de-Arching' the new owners, citing the ongoing 'humanitarian crisis' caused by the conflict.
McDonald's has said that its position in Russia is ‘no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonald’s values', reports The Manc.
Whilst many companies have announced temporary sanctions on Russia. this move by McDonald's makes it one of just a handful of global brands to permanently pull out of the country in protest of the war.
When bosses initially shut down operations on 8 March following the initial invasion, the measures were only intended to be temporary.
In spite of this, it has emerged that McDonald's still plans to look after its 62,000 Russian staff and has promised that they will continue to have jobs with the stores' new owners as part of any future deal.
The company has also pledged to keep paying its Russian staff until new agreements are signed.
CEO Chris Kempzcinski said that the Russian staff's dedication and loyalty to McDonald’s 'make today’s announcement extremely difficult', adding that he was ‘exceptionally proud’ of them.
‘However, we have a commitment to our global community and must remain steadfast in our values.
‘And our commitment to our values means that we can no longer keep the Arches shining there.’
By writing off all of its assets in Russia, the company will instantly lose £1.2 billion, it said in a statement, adding that it expects ‘significant losses’ as it also has to sell all of its assets in roubles.
In a private document obtained by The New York Times, Mr Kempzcinski admitted the move would have ‘profound consequences’ on employees, franchises and suppliers.
He said: "Some might argue that providing access to food and continuing to employ tens of thousands of ordinary citizens is surely the right thing to do.
"But it is impossible to ignore the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
"And it is impossible to imagine the Golden Arches representing the same hope and promise that led us to enter the Russian market 32 years ago."
He reportedly added: "In the history of McDonald’s, it was one of our proudest and most exciting milestones.
"After nearly half a century of Cold War animosity, the image of the Golden Arches shining above Pushkin Square heralded for many, on both sides of the Iron Curtain, the beginning of a new era."
Dozens of national museums across the UK are set to remain free for everyone to visit, it has been confirmed.
Funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the 14 national museums of the UK are all located in England – including the Royal Armouries in Leeds – and free entry to was first introduced all the way back in 2001, with millions of visitors having benefitted since.
National museums are said to add more than £1 billion a year to the economy, and bring in visitors from all over the world.
In fact, seven of the UK’s 10 most visited museums are national museums, and 7.1 million people visited the Natural History Museum and 6.4 million visited the British Museum in 2025 alone.
Earlier this year though, the Government committed to working with local leaders and the museum and tourism sectors to explore whether charging overseas visitors could help museums’ finances.
But following this, it’s now believed that charging could deter visitors, and that the impacts and benefits would ‘not be felt equally’ across the sector.
The Government has announced that all national museums in the UK will remain free for everyone to visit / Credit: Science Museum Group
Instead, the free entry will be funded by the £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund – which is providing £760 million for museums – while £600 million of infrastructure funding is supporting national museums and DCMS-sponsored cultural organisations.
The latter funding will be used to address critical maintenance and works to estates, and enable institutions to deliver on their commitments to share collections with visitors from around the world.
A further £160 million is coming from The Museum Estates and Development Fund to help museums tackle maintenance backlogs.
On top of that, the Government will work with Arts Council to develop a long-term strategic plan for the future of museums.
Leeds has been crowned one of the most ‘stressful’ locations in the UK to drive in
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Consider yourself a confident driver? Have a drive through Leeds.
Have you ever had the joy of driving the wrong way up a one-way road in Leeds City Centre? Perfect - then you know what we’re on about.
Whether you still have your L-plates on or you consider yourself a pro, driving can be anxiety inducing at the best of times, never mind when you’re in an unfamiliar area, with unclear signage and your passenger is reading the map upside down.
MoneySuperMarket recently conducted a study, to investigate where UK drivers felt least safe. It also uncovered that more than 8 in 10 UK drivers have avoided driving somewhere due to the journey feeling too stressful or difficult. We can’t be having that - nobody should have to miss out on visiting our lovely city.
Leeds sadly ranked as the fourth most stressful UK location to drive in, with an Overall Drivability Score of 25, closely following Manchester, then Derby, and Croydon at number one.
This was contrasted by Bath, which was named the ‘UK's easiest place to drive,’ where vehicle traffic has fallen by 0.9% over the last decade. To add insult to industry, Leeds racked up a whopping 6,000 road incidents, compared to the 357 incidents in Bath, in 2024.
The study analysed multiple factors, including road infrastructure, the numbers of road incidents, increasing traffic volumes, and higher levels of concern about vehicle crime, to conclude which locations drivers found most stressful.
It found that the top three sources of stress were dealing with aggressive or impatient drivers, driving in bad weather and driving in an unfamiliar area.
Carmine Mastrogiacomo, driving expert at Drive Therapy, revealed some ways that drivers can build their confidence on the road: "Confidence comes from experience. Start with routes you already know and repeat them regularly to build comfort. Gradually introduce new routes and challenges, setting realistic goals that stretch your ability without feeling overwhelming.
"If anxiety starts while driving, slowing your breathing can help your body relax. Try breathing in through your nose for four seconds, pausing, then breathing out through your mouth for six seconds. Practise this outside the car first, then use it when needed while driving.”
We may not be able to do anything about the weather, but come on - we can definitely curb (pardon the pun) that road rage and try to bring Leeds out of the top four this year.
Georgina Pellant -
16th May 2022 
