MOSCOW, United States (AFP) — Russian authorities shuttered four Moscow McDonald’s due to alleged sanitary violations yesterday, including a restaurant that once symbolised reviving Soviet-US ties, as tensions sizzled over Ukraine.

The Moscow office of Russia’s powerful consumer safety agency Rospotrebnadzor said inspections of the food and premises at the four restaurants of the US fast food giant found “numerous violations of sanitary legislation requirements”.

The announcement comes in the wake of Russian bans on US and EU food imports in response to Western sanctions over Moscow’s perceived backing for rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Among the restaurants closed was the first McDonald’s opened in the Soviet Union in 1990 off Moscow’s central Pushkin Square.

Some 30,000 Soviets queued for hours for a taste of American fast food on the day that restaurant opened, setting a company record.

The company, which has strived to support the local economy and relies almost exclusively on Russian-produced food, said in a statement that it was studying the complaints and that “McDonald’s top priority is to provide safe and quality products”.

McDonald’s added that it would do everything possible to ensure the company’s continued successful operation in Russia, where it has some 430 restaurants and employs more than 37,000 people.

While offering a taste of America, the burger chain has been one of the most aggressive in developing a network of local suppliers, and was in a good position to survive the food sanctions without radical changes to its menu.

The company said earlier this month that over 85 per cent of its products were provided by more than 160 Russian suppliers.