Russian McDonald’s fan CHAINS himself to restaurant to stop it closing down as anti-war protests erupt across country

A RUSSIAN McDonald's fan dramatically CHAINED himself to a restaurant in Moscow today in a desperate bid to stop it closing down.

The man, reported to be Luka Safronov, was filmed staging his protest just hours before the fast food giant was due to shut doors across the country in response to Putin's Ukraine invasion.

McDonald's, which employees 62,000 people in Russia, announced the temporary closures of 850 restaurants in Russia last week in response to the war.

Many fast food fans have been left devastated by the strike, with meals now selling online in the country for as much as £255.

And furious Luka took to the streets on Sunday, chaining himself to the door of a restaurant to fight its closure until the bitter end.

Footage reportedly shows the angry Russian shouting: “Closing down is an act of hostility against me and my fellow citizens!”

Hungry customers can be seen walking past Luka as they go for their final fill in the restaurant.

Later, others can be heard laughing as swathes of onlookers gather and police approach, Financial Times journalist Max Seddon wrote on Twitter.

The no-nonsense cops can eventually be seen dragging Luka away through a crowd, marking an end to the desperate protest.

It came after McDonald's President and CEO Chris Kempckinski said in a letter to employees closing its stores, for now, was the right thing to do.

He said: "As we move forward, McDonald’s will continue to assess the situation and determine if any additional measures are required.

"At this juncture, it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia.

"We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation."

A number of corporations have now ceased operations in Russia in protest of the war in Ukraine.

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Starbucks is pausing operations at 130 stores, while Pepsico inc announced the suspension of the sale of Pepsi-Cola, and global beverage brands in Russia, including 7up and Mirinda.

Anti-war demonstrations also took place across Russia this weekend in protest against the Russian-led conflict. 

Russian police detained more than 800 people for protesting Moscow's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine Sunday, as the conflict continues for a third week.

OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during protests, said police had detained 817 people during demonstrations in 37 cities in Russia.

An AFP journalist reporting from a protest in the capital Moscow witnessed at least a dozen arrests and said police were taking away anybody without press papers.

A young woman was shouting "peace to the world" as she was taken away by two policemen, the journalist said.

Some of the riot police had the letter "Z" in the colours of the Russian flag on their helmets, the AFP reporter said.

The letter, seen on Russian tanks and vehicles in Ukraine, has become a symbol of support for what Moscow calls its "special military operation".

Law enforcement in Moscow said Sunday evening they had detained around 300 people in the capital's centre for breaches of public order.

In Russia's second city Saint Petersburg, AFP saw multiple arrests, including a protester being dragged across the ground.