From McDonald’s and Starbucks to IKEA and H&M, Russians have lost access to a huge array of Western brands they had long been accustomed to enjoying.
Hundreds of Western companies have halted or suspended their work in Russia in the wake of sweeping sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
To pay tribute to these dearly departed brands, a Siberian funeral company has “buried” some famous Western products and social media platforms that are no longer available.
Instagram, BMW keys and a McDonald’s hamburger, as well as euro and dollar banknotes, were laid to rest in a coffin with sad piano music playing in the background.
The Nasledie (“Heritage”) funeral company in the city of Omsk posted the video of the ceremony to Instagram on Monday, the last day the popular platform was available in Russia. Russian authorities banned Instagram after Moscow accused its parent company Meta of allowing calls for violence against Russians.
The company described the funeral as a farewell to Western values as well as to consumer products.
“Forget, do not love, do not mourn,” the company wrote in its Instagram post.
Previously, Nasledie announced “sanctions” denying services to Western leaders like U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In December, the company invited people to wish a happy New Year to their deceased relatives via email.
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