Russia MP Wants Shawarma to be Served at the Duma

A man slices cuts of shawarma inside a restaurant cafe in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, November 30, 2017 (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A man slices cuts of shawarma inside a restaurant cafe in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, November 30, 2017 (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
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Russia MP Wants Shawarma to be Served at the Duma

A man slices cuts of shawarma inside a restaurant cafe in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, November 30, 2017 (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A man slices cuts of shawarma inside a restaurant cafe in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, November 30, 2017 (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A Russian MP has called to open a kiosk to sell Shawarma at the Russian Parliament, Duma, and to assign this mission to a chef from Syria or the Caucasus.

During a Duma session on Monday, United Russia MP Vitaly Milonov spoke about the difficulty of leaving his workplace to buy food.

"Cooks should be from Syria or the Caucasus. I’m sure no one will go to the restaurants, and all MPs will wait in line for a kebab, I say to you!" the MP said.

Milonov insisted on his request and recommended 250 rubles ($4) as the price of one shawarma at the Duma.

This suggestion comes as debate on shawarma stores rises in the Russian capital, after the commission concerned in food monitoring revealed violations in shawarma shops, including the neglect of health standards.

In this regard, Milonov considered that the shawarma sold in these shops is "disgusting" when compared to the genuine shawarma.

Over the past few years, shawarma has become widespread in different Russian cities. Shops selling it have seen a remarkable turnout compared to other fast food restaurants.

Shawarma has reportedly become the number one meal, and made headlines on Russian social media websites and pages such as the "Beauty and Shawarma" dedicated to share photos of Russian women eating shawarma sandwiches.



Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greek firefighters said Friday that a forest blaze that had forced evacuations around Athens was under control, but warned that scorching temperatures were keeping fire risk at a highly elevated level around the capital and on northern Aegean islands.

Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in the summer fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.

The fire around Athens broke on Thursday afternoon near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages popular with local and foreign tourists, AFP reported.

Though it was under control on Friday, a volatile combination of high temperatures and strong winds meant that a high risk of other fires breaking out remained, especially in the Attica region around the Greek capital and some islands in the north Aegean Sea, authorities said.

A spokesman for the fire service told AFP that over 100 firefighters with 37 vehicles and a helicopter were on standby near Palaia Fokaia and Thymari.

Fields, olive groves and some houses were ravaged by the blaze.

The blaze came on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios -- Greece's fifth-largest island -- which had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land in four days.

Weather agencies forecast a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), including in the capital Athens.