Putin transfers Nestle, Auchan, Leroy Merlin assets to Interior Ministry general's firm

September 18, 2026 at 03:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on September 17 transferring 81 enterprises, including assets of Nestle, Auchan, and Leroy Merlin, to temporary management by L.E.V. Management. The company is headed by Andrei Krayushkin, a major general of Russia's Interior Ministry, appointed on September 10. The move strips the foreign owners of control over their Russian operations.

Key Facts

The decree covers shares and stakes in 81 enterprises, including Nestle's Russian subsidiaries, Auchan's Russian arm, and the former Leroy Merlin unit Le Monlid.
L.E.V. Management was registered in Moscow in 2024 and has been headed by Andrei Krayushkin since September 10, 2026.
Krayushkin served as first deputy head of the Interior Ministry's migration department from at least 2016 to 2020.
Nestle's Russian revenue in 2025 was 258 billion rubles, according to TAdviser.
The company L.E.V. Management was available for sale by its registrar for 450,000 rubles as of September 17, 2026.

The Decree

Putin's decree, published on the official legal information portal on September 17, transfers shares and stakes in 81 enterprises to temporary management. The list includes Nestle's Russian subsidiaries, Auchan's Russian arm, and the former Leroy Merlin unit Le Monlid, now operating as Lemana PRO. It also covers Russian structures of logistics companies FM Logistic, NG Concept, and Bati Logistics. The transfer is temporary: previous owners retain ownership rights, but management passes to the appointed Russian structure.

The Manager

L.E.V. Management, registered in Moscow in 2024, has been headed by Andrei Krayushkin since September 10, 2026. Krayushkin's name and birth date match those of a major general of Russia's Interior Ministry, according to media reports. From at least 2016 to 2020, Krayushkin served as first deputy head of the Interior Ministry's migration department. In 2020, media reported that Krayushkin hit a four-year-old boy at a pedestrian crossing; after that, public information about his career became scarce. As of September 17, 2026, L.E.V. Management was offered for sale by its registrar for 450,000 rubles as a ready-made joint-stock company.

Pattern of Seizures

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many Western companies have announced exits or restrictions, while Russian authorities have used temporary management to strip foreign control. In several cases, assets under such measures were later resold to little-known companies or individuals linked to Putin's inner circle. Danone's Russian assets were transferred to Yakub Zakriev, nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and then Chechen agriculture minister. Nestle's Russian revenue in 2025 was 258 billion rubles, according to TAdviser.