Russian Domino’s Pizza Rebranded as Domino Pizza After Pro-Putin Rapper Buys Franchise Out of Bankruptcy

Domino's Pizza locations in Russia will now be known as "Domino Pizza" after a serial entrepreneur and a pro-Putin rapper teamed up to purchase the franchise, which had recently announced it would declare bankruptcy.

Businessman Anton Pinsky and a hip-hop artist known as Timati, whose lyrics include "My best friend is President Putin," will retain the country's 120 Domino's restaurants along with about 2,00 employees, according to Reuters.

Photos show the pair unveiling the company's new logo, which borrows Domino's distinctive red and blue color scheme but replaces the image of a domino with a blue slice of pizza.

Last year, the two moguls purchased Russia's Starbucks subsidiary, renaming it Stars Coffee. The investment allegedly cost Pinskiy roughly $6 million.

Just a little over a week ago, DPEurasia, the parent company of Domino's Pizza in the region announced its Russian business would file for bankruptcy and close all of its locations.

DPRussia had failed to find a buyer to take over the business, an increasingly familiar story as Russia clamps down on Western chains, and in some cases, seizes their local assets as the war in Ukraine drags on.

For its part, Dutch beer manufacturer Heineken announced it had handed over its seven local breweries to a Russian-based brewer for a single euro last week.

The selloff blitz has resulted in several peculiar name changes. Lego is now known in Russia as "World of Cubes" and Krispy Kreme is "Krunchy Dream," per Reuters.

Even McDonald's -- a one-time symbol of Russia's rapprochement with the West -- has undergone a post-Ukraine rebranding. It's now called Vkusno & Tochka, which translates roughly to: "Tasty and that's it."