Swiss cheese, British cheese, Italian wines, French wines, German sausage, Coke, Xbox and Playstation, Hollywood blockbuster movies…

Those are a few of the things that have been banned in Russia. Or, to be more specific, the things that the west has banned from being sent to Russia. Let’s not reason that VPN exists though, which means that Russians can still in fact watch new movies. Also they can still play their console games.

But, they will have to go without the Coke and Sprite, and without McDonalds. Although Russia, being the big industrialised country that it is, has created a new brand of McDs called Vkusno i tochka. Selling replacement foods that are quite similar to the predecessor. The Tasty burger – and I admire the simplicity of the new branding – has received very good reviews.

No longer reliant on the west, Russia is sourcing all its products and some from neighbouring countries for the new franchise. They have saved significant sums of money and are making tons in the process. The restrictions and brand bans have for the most part been absolutely useless.

They have their own colas too, and brands of vodka. Not to mention production and manufacturing are in fact taking place in Russia for a large amount of things, including; bread, meat, dairy, clothes, music, film, fruit and vegetables, vodka, and a whole lot of others.

Does it matter that they were excluded form luxury – overpriced – brands? No. And to be frank I applaud them. They have one of the fastest growing economies in the world. They have such a massive production that western countries look like ants compared to them. They do it themselves, and make a lot of money in the process.

One final thought, more like a fact, is that products in Russia are still cheaper than the UK or America! Take a look at some of these comparisons! The UK price is on the left and the Russian on the right. You can also see the percentage difference!

McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)

6.00 £ (599.65 руб)

4.00 £ (400.00 руб)

-33.3 %

Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)

1.49 £ (148.47 руб)

0.69 £ (69.14 руб)

-53.4 %

Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)

1.04 £ (103.98 руб)

0.46 £ (45.74 руб)

-56.0 %

Potato (1kg)

1.07 £ (107.11 руб)

0.52 £ (51.89 руб)

-51.6 %

Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment

197.75 £ (19,763.81 руб)

79.96 £ (7,991.81 руб)

-59.6 %

Ladies and gentlemen, it might come as a shock to know that the only countries that are suffering from the price crisis and inflation seem to be the west of Europe, UK and America. Russia is a thriving economy and has surpassed the UK in every respect. You can get an apartment in a city centre for a 1/3 of the price of a UK equivalent!

So, what do you think? Drop a comment below. Thanks for reading.