A woman who claims she was forced to break her Lent vow of vegetarianism after being seduced by an advert for McDonald's cheeseburgers is now suing the fast-food giant.
As a Orthodox Christian, Ksenia Ovchinnikova vowed to give up meat for Lent in 2019, but says McDonald's marketing seduced her into breaking her fast.
Lent is the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by Roman Catholic, Eastern, and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting.
The Russian woman has accused the company of breaking local consumer protection law and insulting her religious feelings - suing the company for 1000 rubles (NZ$19.42).
Ovchinnikova says she was walking through the city of Omsk in 2019 when she came across the promotion for cheeseburgers.
"At this point, the promotion had been running for about a month. After I saw the ad, I couldn't help myself. I visited McDonald's and bought a cheeseburger," Ovchinnikova told Russian state media.
"I see a violation of the law on consumer protection. I have asked the court to investigate and, if a violation has taken place, to force McDonald's to compensate me for moral damages amounting to RUB 1000."
She believes McDonald's and similar outlets shouldn't be allowed to advertise during Lent when Christians are trying to abstain from foods like meat and dairy.
The Zamoskvoretsky Court in Russia confirmed that it has received her lawsuit, but a date for the preliminary hearing has not been confirmed.
