2017 Photo Shared as Recent KGB Restaurant Opening in Russia
The Claim
A photo depicts the opening of a KGB restaurant in Russia after the closure of all KFC branches.
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media users have recently circulated a photo purporting to show the opening of KGB fast food restaurants in Russia, after KFC closed its branches as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the widely spread allegation, which was published in December 2017, and discovered it to be misleading.
The KGB logo is an abbreviation for Kuriza Goroda Bolshogo, not for the Soviet Union's Committee for State Security.
Misbar discovered the restaurant's name on Russian websites that provided menus for Russian restaurants, along with reviews from previous customers. The restaurant probably opened roughly four years ago. The restaurant is located in a shopping mall in Tambov, Russia.
The photo went viral after Yum Brands Inc., the parent corporation of KFC, said that it would close its branches in Russia in response to calls for a boycott of Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.
Translated by Wesam Abo Marq.
