According to the Moscow Times, Starbucks "has regained the right to use its brand on coffee houses in Russia after a protracted legal battle with a trademark squatter who was asking $600,000 for the logo, the intellectual property agency said Thursday."

So I think it's safe to say that there are going to be a number of Starbucks locations opening in Russia in 2006. Starbucks already supplies a few hotels in Moscow but little else thus far. And a recent research report I've read said that the coffee culture in Russia is rapidly emerging, along with the country's economy.

Next stop: Ukraine.