In a move that fuses geopolitical retaliation with economic statecraft, Vladimir Putin has signed a decree transferring the Russian operations of Nestle and three French companies to a state-controlled entity, deepening a pattern of asset seizures that began with the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. What was once a calculated corporate retreat — companies scaling back but not fully departing — has now become an involuntary surrender, as Russia closes the door on foreign capital that lingered too long. The decree touches not only balance sheets but the livelihoods of more than 40,000 workers whose
Putin seizes Nestle, French retailers' Russian assets in retaliation move
Nestle's seizure affects approximately 7,000 employees; Auchan's Russian operations employ over 33,000 workers whose employment status remains uncertain.