Russian exit: McDonald's says franchisee will buy its locations

May 19 (UPI) -- Just days after announcing that it was getting out of Russia, fast-food giant McDonald's said on Thursday that it's found a buyer for hundreds of locations in the Eastern European country.

The chain said on Monday that it was getting out of Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The new buyer is franchisee Alexander Govor, who already operates more than two dozen McDonald's locations in Siberia. Now, he'll take over ownership of the rest of the McDonald's properties in the country, the chain said in a statement.

McDonald's has almost 900 locations and more than 60,000 employees across Russia.

The chain said it signed an agreement with Govor on Thursday, which is subject to regulatory approval. The company said it expects the deal to close in the next few weeks.

In its announcement Monday, McDonald's cited two main reasons for leaving Russia -- the instability caused by the war and the chain's opposition to the invasion, which has killed thousands of people since February.

After the war began Feb. 24, McDonald's initially said that it would temporarily close its Russian locations.

McDonald's is one of several companies that have withdrawn from Russian markets due to the war in Ukraine.