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 Sirota opened his small "Russky Parmezan" factory in 2015 as a
patriotic duty to keep Russians supplied after Moscow banned
fresh food imports from western Europe. Now he says he has sold
400 kg (880 lb) of Kolmogorovsky - his answer to Dutch gouda -
plus dozens of jars of yoghurt to the French base.
"I understood what the secret of the French team is. They just
fill themselves with good cheese, they eat it and win," a
grinning Sirota said in a storage room filled with cheeses.
France have qualified for the knock-out stage of the tournament
hosted by Russia, with two wins in Group C.
Sirota's story is rooted in Russia's troubled relations with
neighboring Ukraine and the West. The 30-year-old, a former IT
specialist, said he had wanted to fight alongside pro-Russian
rebels in eastern Ukraine but had not found the courage.
Instead his chance came after the Kremlin banned wholesale
imports of fresh dairy products and meat from the European Union
in 2014 - part of its retaliation against Western sanctions on
Russia over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its role
in the rebellion.
That forced local producers to fill the void left by the absence
of delicacies such as French Camembert and Italian Parmesan.
Sirota set up his business in Dubrovskoye, to the west of Moscow
and less than 2 km (a mile) from the French hotel.
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The players seem satisfied with the food in Russia. "It's not very
different from what we have in France," midfielder Nabil Fekir said.
Visitors to Russia are allowed to import small amounts of fresh food
from the EU for personal use. Press officer Philippe Tournon didn't
confirm details of the players' meals but said the team brought
little from home. "We knew that we would find satisfactory food
products in Russia, including in terms of cheese," he said.
Sirota acknowledges the import ban has helped his business. "Maybe
we're not the champions in soccer," he said. "But at least we are
the champions in protectionism."
And he makes no secret of his politics: outside his factory fly the
flags of Russia and Novorossiya, the pro-Russian separatist regions
of eastern Ukraine.
The Ukraine dispute lies center stage in the row with Western
countries, including France.
But Sirota believes gastronomy trumps politics. "Maybe some people
could have a problem with that," he said. "But ... in this case the
stomach prevailed over the mind."
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by David Stamp)
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