Putin Signed A Decree Ordering The Confiscation Of Auchan And Nestlé's Assets In Russia

  The Kremlin has legalized the seizure of businesses belonging to companies that have not yet left the Russian market.

Russian Federation dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree nationalizing the Russian assets of Auchan, Nestlé, and the former Leroy Merlin chain.

This was reported by "Interfax".

According to the decree, the assets have been placed under the temporary management of the joint-stock company “L.E.V. Management.” The entity also assumed control of the assets of FM Logistics and Bati Logistics, as well as Le Monlid LLC (the former Leroy Merlin chain).

In this way, the Kremlin has effectively legitimized the theft of businesses from those companies that, despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, did not withdraw from the Russian market and continued to contribute to the budget of the country that unleashed the war.

It is also worth noting that L.E.V. Management JSC was registered just a couple of years ago, in October 2024. Andrey Krayushkin is the company’s CEO, but information about the actual owners has not been disclosed. Moreover, based on its financial statements, the company is a shell entity, as it did not engage in any active business operations in 2025.

What is known about Western companies operating in Russia

It is worth noting that Nestlé began operations in Russia in 1994. It owns six production sites located in the Kaluga, Vologda, Samara, and Vladimir regions, as well as in the Perm and Krasnodar territories. The combined revenue of the four main legal entities in 2021 amounted to 29.94 billion rubles. Revenue figures for subsequent periods are unknown.

For its part, the Auchan retail chain began operating in Russia in 2022 and has 230 stores in 100 cities. Since 2022, the company’s Russian division has been operating independently, but it has remained in the market nonetheless.

As for Leroy Merlin, this company entered the Russian market in 2004. Over time, the retailer changed its name to “Lemana PRO,” and the chain currently operates 112 stores, 11 dark stores, and six distribution centers. Since December 2023, 99.99% of Le Monlid LLC has been owned by the UAE-based company Scenari Holding LP, while the French group Adeo retains the remaining 0.007%.

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