Putin Ally Rebrands Starbucks Stores In Russia As 'Stars Coffee,' Frappuccinos Become 'Frappuccitos'

Months after multinational coffee chain Starbucks Corporation SBUX announced the closing of operations in Russia, its restaurants were reopened by a restaurateur and rapper duo under the brand name 'Stars Coffee.'

What Happened: A pro-Putin rapper Timati and restaurateur Anton Pinskiy reopened the shut stores with new branding after acquiring the rights to the chain in Russia, The Guardian reported.

See Also: McDonald's Reopens In Russia Under A Different Brand: 'Tasty, And That's It'

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Starbucks, in May, decided to shut down business in Russia after operating in the country for 15 years. It came as the second major exit of a global American brand after McDonald's MCD also closed operations in early May.
The duo also attended the opening of the first 130 cafes previously owned by Starbucks.

The publication noted that the new owners, during the opening in central Moscow, also revealed the chain's new logo, which is fairly similar to Starbucks but replaces the iconic siren with a woman wearing the traditional Russian kokoshnik headdress.

An email sent to Starbucks by Benzinga seeking comments didn't elicit any response at the time of publishing the story.

According to ​​Russian outlet RBK, the menu items like "frappuccitos" replaced Starbucks' "frappuccinos."

Timati has been a vocal supporter of the Russian president Vladimir Putin and a self-described friend of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.The development came two months after more than a dozen former McDonald's restaurants were reopened in Russia by businessman Alexander Govor, who rebranded the outlets as Vkusno-i tochka, which translates as "Tasty, and that's it."

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