A new coffee chain is taking over Starbucks outlets in Russia after the US company pulled out over the invasion of Ukraine. Stars Coffee, which opened its first Moscow café on Thursday, is owned by a pro-Putin rapper and a restaurateur. The cafés were closed by Starbucks in March and the company completely withdrew from Russia in May. Starbucks had almost 2,000 employees in Russia and 130 stores. Staff members remain on full pay through the autumn. Stars co-owner, the restaurateur Anton Pinsky, said the outlets would be reopened gradually. The logo of Stars Coffee is similar to that of Starbucks, featuring a woman in the centre of a circle but wearing traditional Russian headgear.(BBC)…[+]