Mc Donalds gets a Russian jolt; faces suit that may ban sale of signature products

Moscow, Brussels: Nearly a quarter-century after McDonald’s startled and delighted Soviets with their first taste of American fast-food culture, the company is facing a suit that could ban it from selling some of its signature products.

The Russian consumer protection agency said on Friday it is taking the company to court for selling foods that contain more fats and carbohydrates than are allowed by national regulations.

McDonald’s did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The suit comes amid especially high tensions between Moscow and Washington over the Ukraine crisis; the United States has slapped an array of sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine for allegedly supporting separatist rebels who are fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier, the European Union put Russia’s intelligence chiefs on its sanctions list Saturday as it readied much harsher measures against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

The director of the FSB security service, Alexander Bortnikov, and the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Mikhail Fradkov were among 15 people and 18 entities hit with asset freezes and visa bans, the EU's Official Journal said.

Bortnikov and Fradkov, both members of the Russian Security Council, were included for their part in “threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” it said.

Among other figures was Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, having offered to send troops to support the pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine who have been accused of shooting down MH17.