>> IT WAS JUST A FEW MONTHS
AFTER THE BERLIN WALL FELL
JANUARY 1990.
THE SOVIET UNION WAS STILL
INTACT.
BARELY.
IT WAS STARTING TO UNRAVEL.
WHEN MCDONALD'S THE VERY SYMBOL
OF AMERICAN CAPITALS AND OPENED
ITS FIRST STORE IN MOSCOW.
AT THE HEIGHT OF THE --
ECONOMIC REFORM UNDER PRESIDENT
MIKHAIL GORBACHEV.
IT WAS LOCATED IN PUSH AND
SQUARE.
IT WAS A VERY, VERY BIG DEAL.
THIS WAS THE FRONT PAGE OF THE
WASHINGTON POST ON THE DAY THAT
THE STORE OPENED.
A ONE BELOW THE FOLD WAS ON THE
MCDONALD'S TITLED QUOTE MOSCOW
PLAYS CATCH-UP.
GET, IT CATCH UP.
THIS IS HOW NBC NEWS COVERED
THE STORY AT THE TIME.
>> THE GRAND OPENING HIGH WAS
FOREIGN TO MOSCOW AS THE
HAMBURGER.
GEORGE COOL HEART STARTED --
WITH THE SOVIETS 14 YEARS AGO.
IT WAS A STATIC.
WOULD >> I'D RECOMMEND IS THAT
THIS IS A GREAT MARKET.
THIS IS A MARKET THAT'S OPEN
FOR BUSINESS.
>> DOCTOR NATION OF THE YOUNG
STAFF HAS --
CONFOUNDED SOME FIRST DAY
CUSTOMERS.
>> IT'S VERY UNUSUAL FOR SOVIET
PEOPLE TO BE POLITE TO
EVERYBODY.
AND IN A CITY WHERE RESTAURANTS
OFTEN CLOSE EARLY BECAUSE THE
FOOD RUNS OUT.
MOSCOW'S NEWEST STATE OPEN
HOURS AFTER IT'S SCHEDULED
CLOSING TONIGHT.
IT FINALLY DID 30,000 CUSTOMERS
HAVE BEEN SERVED.
AT AN ALL-TIME ONE DAY RECORD
FOR THE CHAIN.
GOOD OMEN FOR THE 19 OTHER
MCDONALD'S PLAN FOR THE SOVIET
CAPITAL.
--
NBC NEWS, MOSCOW.
>> 27,000 RUSSIANS APPLYING FOR
THE JOBS AT THE RESTAURANT FOR
ABOUT 600 OPEN POSITIONS.
ON THE DAY THE STORE OPEN THERE
WAS A LINE WAS FIVE FOOT
FOOTBALL FIELDS LIKE WAITING TO
GET IN.
AS YOU HEARD THE STORE EVEN
STATE OPEN LATE JUST TO GET
THROUGH ALL THE RUSHES.
30,000 OF THEM EAGER TO TRY
AMERICAN FAST FOOD.
FOR THE FIRST-TIME.
20 YEARS LATER AFTER THAT
HISTORICAL --
IN 2010.
MCDONALD'S EXECUTIVES VEGGIE
DID THE LOCATION AS PART OF AN
EFFORT TO HIGHLIGHT ITS
SUCCESSFUL EXPANSION INTERESTS
UP.
AT THAT POINT PUSHING INSTEAD
RESTAURANT HAD BECOME A NORMAL
PART OF LIFE IN RUSSIA.
HAVING SERVED --
130 MILLION CUSTOMERS.
EARLIER THIS MONTH THAT
MCDONALD'S AND PUSHED GUNS
WHERE CLOSED.
ALONG WITH EVERY OTHER
MCDONALD'S STORE IN THE
COUNTRY.
AMONG COUNTLESS OTHER BRANDS.
AS PART OF THE GLOBAL RESPONSE
TO THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
VLADIMIR PUTIN'S WAR OF
AGGRESSION IN UKRAINE.
IT'S HARD TO SEE AND NOT THINK
THAT IN A MATTER OF FOUR WEEKS
VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS TAKEN RUSSIA
BACK 30 YEARS IN TERMS OF
PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC.
THE COUNTRY IS BACK WHERE IT
STARTED AFTER COMMUNISM.
ISOLATED FOR MOST OF THE
WESTERN WORLD.
A NEW IRON CURTAIN HAS FALLEN.
IT'S NOT ALL THAT CLEAR WHAT
HAPPENS NEXT.
--
A PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS AT THE NEW SCHOOL AND
THE COAUTHOR OF PUTIN'S
FOOTSTEPS.
SEARCHING FOR THE SOUL OF AN
EMPIRE ACROSS RUSSIA HAS 11
TIME ZONES.
SHE'S THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF
NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV WHO SERVED AS
THE PREMIER OF THE SOVIET
UNION.
NINA, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING.
WITH US LOOK, IT'S A
MCDONALD'S.
ANYBODY CAN --
BUT THIS IS A PRETTY POTENT
METAPHOR.
RUSSIA IS ESPECIALLY MOVING
BACKWARDS IN A VERY BIG WAY.
THERE IS A REAL RISK, MAYBE I'M
OVERSTATING.
IT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S UNDOING
DECADES OF GLOBALIZATION AND
PROSPERITY.
IN A MONTH.
>> WELL, A CLOSE RECENTLY AND
ESSENTIALLY IN JUST A WEEK IT
BECAME CLEAR THAT IT'S THE IRON
CURTAIN.
AND NOW IT'S ACTUALLY
UNOFFICIALLY CREATED BUT ALSO
CREATED --
THEMSELVES BECAUSE THE WESTERN
BUSINESSES AND WESTERN --
BY ALSO THE RUSSIANS THEMSELVES
THE KREMLIN.
CONTROLLING ORGANS, CLOSE,
CLOSE NUMEROUS --
THERE'S NOT THAT MANY OUTLETS.
BUT THEY CLOSED THE NEWSPAPERS,
AND THEY DO NBC MOSTLY MEDIA
APP LETS --
AND THEY LEFT RUSSIA BECAUSE SO
YOU I THINK WE'RE VERY GENEROUS
TO SAY THAT RUSSIANS BACKBONE
STARTED 30 YEARS AGO.
BECAUSE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS
OF THE SOVIET UNION IT WAS
RATHER OPEN.
MY FEAR AND WHAT I'VE SEEN IS
RUSSIA'S BACK IN THE LATE
1940S.
--
IT WAS BEFORE JOSEPH STALIN'S
DEATH IN 1940.
THREE AND THE RELATIONSHIP FOR
THE IRON CURTAIN WAS PRETTY
FOR.
WHEN YOU HEAR A CUSHION OF
BECAME IN CHARGE OF THE
COUNTRY.
IN FACT IT BECAME MUCH MORE
OPEN.
IT IS MUCH MORE --
TO SOME DEGREE.
IT'S MUCH MORE OPEN UNDER CRUSH
OF UNDER IT IS TODAY.
--
WE'RE OPERATING IN THE COUNTRY.
SO, IT IS A GIANT, GIANT METAPHOR.
>> SO, DOES THIS AT SOME POINT
DESPITE ALL THE PRESS
RESTRICTIONS ARE TALKING ABOUT.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS
ECONOMIC PULLBACK ABOUT THE
IDEA THAT GLOBAL FIRMS LIKE
MCDONALD'S AND MANY, MANY
OTHERS ARE PULLING OUT OF
RUSSIA ARE SHUTTING DOWN.
DOES LATIN REPUBLICANS CONTROL
OVER THE MEDIA AND THE WAY THIS
IS EXPRESSED OFFSET THE ACTUAL
PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT AVERAGE
RUSSIANS ARE GOING THROUGH OVER
THIS WAR?
THAT MOST OF THEM AREN'T ALL
THAT INTERESTED IN?
>> WELL, THEY'RE MORE
INTERESTED IN YOU COVERING THE
PROTESTS.
THEY'RE PROTESTING.
BUT ALSO FOR THEM ALL THE
GENERATIONS ARE TRYING TO SAVE
EUROPE.
YOU DON'T KNOW A DIFFERENT
LIFE.
YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOUR 20, YOU
DON'T KNOW LIFE WITHOUT
INSTAGRAM.
BUT NOW AS A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION YOU DON'T KNOW
LIFE WITHOUT FACEBOOK.
SO, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS
TO BE --
IN TERMS OF THE GOODS AND
SERVICES.
AND PRODUCTS TO BE UNCONNECTED
TO THE WORLD.
BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF SOCIAL
MEDIA, INFORMATION, INTERNET.
SO, IT'S A VERY GIANT --
NORTH KOREA RIGHT NOW IT'S
GETTING CLOSER TO BEING NORTH
KOREA.
BUT ALSO WHAT IS PROBLEMATIC
FOR THE RUSSIANS IS BECAUSE
RUSSIA NOW IS THE GLOBAL ENEMY.
IT'S NOT JUST.
PUTIN PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT'S
PUTIN'S WAR BUT RUSSIA HAS
COLLECTIVELY PUNISHED FOR.
IT IS A COLLECTIVE RESPONSE TO
HUMILITY TO SOME DEGREE.
THAT IS PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE A
LOT OF RUSSIANS NOT LISTENING
TO PUTIN'S PROPAGANDA.
AND THE PROPAGANDA IS BLATANT
IN RUSSIAN CULTURE.
THE WEST IS OUT TO GET YOU,
WANTS TO DEPRIVE YOU OF ALL OF
THESE BURGERS, AND BINDS AND IN
FACT AFTER MCDONALD'S CLOSED
THE NEXT DAY THE MATRYOSHKA
TRUCKS, THE RUSSIAN NESTING
GOALS WITH THE IMAGE OF THE
NESTING DOLL IS PARKED RIGHT
THERE.
THE GLOBALIZATION, SO A LOT OF
RUSSIANS ALSO GETTING MAD NOT
ONLY AT PUTIN BUT AS THE WEST
AS WELL.
IT'S THE BALANCING ACT THAT
PUTIN IS USING WITH PROPAGANDA
ESPECIALLY TV PROPAGANDA.
THAT RUSSIA'S --
STAND AGAINST THE WORLD.
BECAUSE THE WORLD WANTS TO
PUNISH RUSSIA FOR BEING
INDEPENDENT.
STANDING UP TO UNITED STATES.
WITH ITS MCDONALD'S AND IT'S
MICROSOFT AND GOOGLE AND
WHATNOT.
AND SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY BUY
THAT PROPAGANDA UNFORTUNATELY.
>> WELL, IT'S SAID THAT
RUSSIANS WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH THIS SUFFERING UNDER AS
MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE.
NINA THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
NINA KARADSHEH VOTE, MUCH MORE
TO COME LIVE FROM WARSAW
TONIGHT INCLUDING THE CRUCIAL