'Sense of normality' — War-torn Mykolaiv welcomes McDonald's long-awaited return
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The golden arches shine again in Mykolaiv, a southern Ukrainian city that withstood Russia's assault early into the full-scale invasion.
The port city, less than 70 kilometers from the front line, initially expected to see the return of McDonald’s in 2023. Those plans changed after Russia’s destruction of the nearby Kakhovka dam in June 2023 plunged the city into a devastating water crisis.
With dirty water flowing through the taps and limited supply stations across the city, McDonald's wasn’t able to reopen. But new water infrastructure completed last year, including a pipeline connecting the city to another reservoir, the fast-food restaurant was able to fire up the fryers again on March 27.
Those craving an early morning McMuffin, however, will have to wait two weeks for the breakfast menu to come back.
"For us, this is not just the opening of a restaurant — it is the return of business, jobs and a sense of normality for the city," said Yulia Badritdinova, general director of McDonald's in Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in the company’s press release.
The reopening of McDonald's restaurants — the first American fast food chain to enter Ukraine in the 1990s — is always met with great fanfare after Russia’s full-scale invasion forced the company to pause operations throughout the country.
By the summer of 2022, the company began to reopen restaurants where it was safe to do so. Kyiv residents were able to enjoy Big Macs again in September 2022, although in front-line cities like Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv it remains closed.
Some restaurants have been destroyed by Russian strikes, like in war-torn Kherson, or damaged, including the oldest outlet by Lukianivska metro station in Kyiv.
Nevertheless, the company announced 10 new Ukrainian locations last year, mostly in western regions, and currently operates 125 outlets across the country — more than its prewar figure. With that comes new job opportunities — 100 openings in Mykolaiv alone — and more tax revenue for the war-torn country.
The fast food giant is seen as an example of clean and transparent business practices, with Hr 3.5 billion ($80 million) contributed to the budget in 2025, putting it on the list of top taxpayers in Ukraine.
"Even in the fifth year of Russia’s illegal full-scale war in Ukraine, American enterprise continues to bet on Ukraine’s future. We now look to Washington to follow the example set by the private sector — to believe in Ukraine as deeply as our businesses do," Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent.
