WITH St George’s flags hanging on walls, paintings of Winston Churchill, London Pride on tap, and fish & chips on the menu – you could be fooled into thinking you are in a classic British boozer.
But then you remember you are in the middle of Moscow and you aren’t in a Wetherspoons, you are actually in Churchill’s Pub – one of the home’s of English football in Russia.
Pictures from inside the pub show a loving crafted tribute to English football and British culture – with portraits of monarchs such as King George V.
There are piles of football scarves, hanging footie strips and other memorabilia plastered around the pub – most of which is for the punters’ club of choice, Millwall.
And in the middle of the front window is a giant St George’s flag hanging around a mannequin clad in a Churchillian suit and bowler hat next to a sign for London Pride.
Next to the dummy is a World Cup – as the patrons this year have vowed to back England despite tensions over the Ukraine war between the UK and Russia.
And while the punters told The Sun Online they currently can’t get London Pride in Russia due to sanctions, they have plenty of other beers on the menu.
You can get hold of Hobgoblin, Bishops Finger, Ghost Ship, Theakstons and plenty of others – along with various variants of Scotch.
It even has its own Churchill’s Draught Ale – complete with a pump that resembles the World War 2 leader’s hat and dickie bow.
The food menu is also brimming with plenty of classic pub grub – with options for pies, burgers and of course fish & chips.
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Churchill’s Pub also has a traditional red phone box outside – and makes sure to show English matches on TV.
And it of course will be showing the World Cup.
Maxim Prokhoroenko, one of the pub’s regulars and the head of the Millwall Supporters Club in Russia, told The Sun Online about his love for Churchill’s Pub.
“It has that unique English pub’s atmosphere. That’s why we chose it as a home for Russian Lions,” explained Maxim.
But he bemoaned the absence of his favourite beer London Pride.
“Russia is under sanctions now, so we can’t get it now, either we still have good choice of ales, lagers and spirits,” he told The Sun Online.
Russian fans who gather at Churchill’s Pub are unashamed Anglophiles – and they will be cheering on England in Qatar.
The war has made things tough for the Russian Lions – and they have called for peace, urging Putin to stop the “madness” in Ukraine.
But all the troubles won’t stop them backing the Three Lions.
He added however they don’t hang their flags or carry them outside anymore due to the politics.
“We will support England. My strong opinion is that the sport is above the politics,” Maxim told The Sun Online.
“The political situation between our countries is not good, but it’s just football.”
He went on: “I have many friends in UK, we keep on chatting, they are sending me pictures and videos from The Den, I hope I will be able to come to London to see my Millwall again.”
Maxim said he believes England “deserves” to win the 2022 World Cup after the Three Lions heartbreakingly missed out at Euro 2020 in a gut-wrenching penalty shootout against Italy.
He and his pals will be adding their cheers and chants for England some 2,000 miles from Doha, 1,600 miles from the UK.
Maxim said: “England every tournament has a very strong team, but every time after 1966 something is going wrong. I can’t explain this magic.”
He joked that England should replace Gareth Southgate with a manager like bumbling fictional coach Mike Bassett and play “four, four, f***ing two”.
However, despite vowing the cheer on England – he said he didn’t know who will win the World Cup.
“I don’t want to be like Pele saying rubbish predictions every time,” Maxim told The Sun Online, but added he thinks Serbia could have a chance to pull off a shock.
Russia will not be competing the World Cup this year despite being the host nation in 2018.
FIFA kicked the side out after numerous nations vowed to refuse to play against the final stages of qualification due to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
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The war has seen Russia become an pariah state – with strained relations at the UK, US and other Western nations at breaking point sparking fears of World War 3.
However, Maxim and his friends have vowed rise above it all in the name of a shared international love of the beautiful game.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
