Notable logo
Kremlin wants “Uncle Vanya” instead of McDonald’s
03/17/2022 09:53 am
Even before the war in Ukraine, the Russian leadership planned for domestic production to crowd out foreign goods. The Kremlin wants to use McDonald’s withdrawal to launch a Russian fast-food chain. The planned logo seems somehow familiar.
After McDonald’s closed its 850 branches in Russia because of the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin is planning a patriotic alternative. A Russian fast food chain is to replace the Americans. The name: “Uncle Vanya”. Now the planned new logo has been released – which is subtly reminiscent of McDonald’s.
The draft was submitted to the Intellectual Property Authority on Sunday. Parliament leader Vyacheslav Volodin had previously announced that there would soon be “Uncle Vanya” branches in Russia.
The logo appears like satire – but it obviously isn’t. The designers opted for a yellow Cyrillic “W” (for “Vanya”) on a red background – which looks pretty much exactly like the US chain’s iconographic arc-shaped “M” turned on its side.
As expected, the project caused ridicule on social networks. A few of the suggestions for Russian alternatives to Western companies that have left the country: “Netflix” could be replaced by “Njetflix” and “Visa” by “Hasta la visa”.
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that the city would provide the equivalent of almost four million euros to get the Russian fast-food chain up and running. A number of businessmen are also reportedly behind the project. The official goal: the products should be “100 percent Russian”. In addition, the prices should be lower than at McDonalds.
The American decision to stop doing business in Russia marks a turning point. When the group opened its first store in Moscow in 1990, it was a symbol of the end of communism and Russian isolation.