Russian authorities are continuing to target McDonald's restaurants beyond the capital, where four of the U.S.-based fast-food chain's outlets were shut down by national food-safety inspectors yesterday for what they called "numerous" hygiene violations.
Now, according to Russian agencies, watchdog Rospotrebnadzor is conducting surprise inspections at McDonald's restaurants in the Sverdlovskregion.
Here's our story from last night about the initial shutdowns in Moscow:
Authorities in Russia have ordered the temporary closing of four McDonald's restaurants in Moscow.
Russia's food safety watchdog said its inspectors had found "numerous sanitary violations" at the four sites in the Russian capital, including the first-ever McDonald's in Russia.
A source at the watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, declined to say whether the action was a retaliation for the United States and other countries imposing economic sanctions on Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.
McDonald's head office in Illinois said it was studying the decision to figure out "what should be done to reopen the restaurants as soon as possible."
Russia's first McDonald's opened on Moscow's Pushkin Square in 1990 and the company sayts it is the most frequented in the world.
This ends our live-blogging for August 20. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
Donetsk is being shelled again, our news desk reports:
The separatist-held eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk came under artillery and mortar fire again late on August 20.
AFP reported its journalists in Donetsk said shells were hitting the city center near the stadium where the soccer team Shakhtar usually plays.
The stadium was also one of the venues for the Euro 2012 soccer championship.
Russia's Interfax news agency cited the pro-Russian separatists' press service as reporting other areas of Donetsk were under artillery fire and that at least nine people had been killed and 13 wounded.
The attacks came after reports said 34 people were killed in fighting in the Donetsk area overnight.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in over four months of fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. (AFP and Interfax)