, according to analysis by Novaya Gazeta Europe – the long-established Russian opposition newspaper which closed in Moscow in March 2022 and relaunched in Latvia. These purchases have typically taken place at large discounts. In some cases, factory assets have been sold for the symbolic price of €1. According to Novaya-Europe, Vladimir Potanin, Russia's richest businessman, who is sanctioned by the UK and the US, has acquired assets worth around €16bn. But even if brands have not sold their assets, companies are moving in to fill the gap they have left behind. 'Shops are realising that companies may have pulled out, but people still want (their goods). Capitalism is the winner. It's just someone else taking a cut in the middle,' says Tickle. Adverts for Mamba, a Russian dating app, can be seen at bus stops in the wake of Tinder's exit. 'That's been around forever but it's not cool. Nobody used it after Tinder rocked up. I guess now they are trying to make it cool,' says Tickle. The Swedish furniture s){kind=link}
Businesses are profiting from the vacuum created by departing companies
The departure of Western brands from Russia following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was supposed to change daily life in Moscow. Instead, it has triggered a proliferation of doppelgangers.
Starbucks’ outlets were purchased by a group of local businessmen, including famous Russian rapper Timati, and have since reopened as Stars Coffee. The logo still features a mermaid, but she now wears a Russian headdress instead of a crown.
“They ask for your name to write on the cup, they shout out your name. Everyone who works there is the same,” says Jonny Tickle, a British man living in Moscow.
Nearly 1,500 Western companies have either fully exited or are in the process of leaving Russia, according to the Kyiv School of Economics.