McDonald’s ha chiuso i suoi ristoranti a Simferopoli, Sebastopoli e Yalta, in Crimea

(Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp said on Friday it had closed its restaurants in Crimea, prompting fears of a backlash as a prominent Moscow politician called for all of the U.S. fast food chain’s outlets in Russia to be shut.

Crimea’s annexation by Russia, which Ukraine and the West do not acknowledge, has worried companies with assets in the Black Sea peninsula as it is unclear how the change may affect theirbusiness.

McDonald’s said the decision was strictly based on business and had “nothing to do with politics.” Nevertheless, its move to temporarily close restaurants in Simferopol, Sevastopol and Yalta is likely to be seen as emblematic of the rift in Western-Russian relations, now at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.