Starbucks has applied for several patents in Russia nearly two years after it fled the country due to the war in Ukraine, according to reports citing the Russian intellectual property agency Rospatent database.

Experts speculate that the move could signal either Starbucks' potential return to the Russian market or an attempt to extend patent protection before they expire next year.

Starbucks suspended operations and deliveries in Russia on March 10, 2022, days after the invasion of Ukraine, and announced its full exit in May of that year after nearly 15 years in the market.

Pro-Kremlin rapper Timati and Russian restaurateur Anton Pinsky acquired the Russian division of Starbucks in July 2022 and reopened it as "Stars Coffee" with the slogan "The bucks are gone, the stars remain."

Pinsky reportedly tried and failed to register the trademarks “Stars Pinsky Coffee” and “Stars Kanokov Coffee,” and Rospatent ruled that they had too much in common with Starbucks.

In April of this year, a restaurateur filed a lawsuit seeking early termination of the Starbucks Corporation trademark.

According to Vedomosti, Starbucks Corporation has applied for eight Russian patents for brands such as Starbucks Coffee and Frappuccino, as well as services such as food and beverage preparation and loyalty programs.

Seattle-based Starbucks did not comment on Vedomosti's report.

Starbucks may be pursuing a dual goal: to preserve the ability to eventually return to Russia and protect its trademarks after the three-year patent term expires in 2025, legal experts told Vedomosti.

Before its closure during the war, Starbucks employed 2,000 people in its 130 stores in Russia.