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Le Monde has reported that Russian assets of Auchan, Lemana PRO (formerly Leroy Merlin), Nestlé and logistics company FM Logistic could eventually pass to business figures with ties to the Kremlin. The report, relayed by The Bell, describes potential buyers and says the current managers may be temporary custodians; no sale or final ownership decision is confirmed in the material provided.
Le Monde reports that business figures with ties to the Kremlin may eventually acquire Russian assets of Auchan, Lemana PRO, Nestlé and FM Logistic, which are under temporary management in Russia. The report identifies potential buyers but does not confirm that any sale has been agreed or that the named figures will take control.
The French newspaper said it based its account on a Moscow source familiar with economic processes and representatives of what remains of the French business community in Moscow. According to the report, L.E.V. Management and its chief executive, police general Andrey Krayushkin, have been given control of the companies’ assets. Market insiders quoted by Le Monde characterize that role as temporary, pending an audit, after which other owners could emerge.
Le Monde’s sources named Alexander Vinokurov, the son-in-law of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and a figure associated with Marathon Group; billionaire Suleiman Kerimov and partners backed by Wildberries; property developers God Nisanov and Ilham Ragimov; and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev as possible buyers. These are reported possibilities, not confirmed bids. The report also says the newly appointed executives do not indicate who will ultimately own the assets.
The article distinguishes between the companies’ relative commercial appeal. It describes Auchan as the least attractive of the assets discussed, saying the retailer froze expansion in Russia after the war began and that Russia represents 7% of its parent group’s revenue. Lemana PRO is described as a more attractive target, with up to 20% of its parent company’s revenue and about €2 billion in accumulated cash that, according to the source, it has been unable to move out of Russia. The report also includes Nestlé and FM Logistic among the assets under L.E.V. Management’s control, but gives no comparable financial details for them.
Potential Owners of Major Retail Assets
The report matters because a change in temporary management could determine who controls substantial retail, logistics and financial holdings inside Russia. The assets include established consumer-facing businesses as well as cash that Le Monde’s source says is trapped in the country. Any eventual transfer could reshape their operations and ownership, while affecting the foreign companies’ ability to retain influence over their Russian businesses.
Le Monde’s Moscow source argues that low-cost acquisitions could help create a group of business owners dependent on the Kremlin. That is an interpretation attributed to the source, not a demonstrated outcome of completed deals. The report also raises the prospect that authorities could seek contributions from buyers: one source said they would not be surprised to see proposals in the State Duma calling on purchasers of Western companies to contribute to the war. No such proposal is confirmed in the supplied account.
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Temporary Management and Sale Speculation
The report follows a broader period of uncertainty for foreign businesses remaining in Russia. The Bell says Le Monde had reported the previous day that Metro itself had asked for its Russian assets to be placed under temporary management. That detail is separate from the current speculation about who might ultimately acquire the assets already placed under such arrangements.
Le Monde’s source said potential buyers had been circling the assets for years, but also cautioned that they would not necessarily receive them for free. The report says Auchan froze its Russian expansion after the start of the war. It also describes Lemana PRO as the current name of the business formerly known as Leroy Merlin and says its parent company’s approach of appearing to leave while keeping money available for a possible return had failed, according to the source.
The account mentions Metro and Globus as companies still seeking favorable treatment. It says Globus appointed former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, described in the source material as a friend of Putin, to its supervisory board. Those examples provide context for the choices foreign retailers face, but they do not establish who will obtain the assets covered by the report.
““For the fifth year now, bidders have been circling the assets like vultures.””
— A Moscow source quoted by Le Monde
No Buyers or Deals Confirmed
The report does not identify a completed sale, a confirmed winning bidder, a purchase price or a schedule for transferring ownership. The names listed are potential buyers cited by sources, and the proposed audit and eventual change of control remain the market insiders’ account of what may happen. It is also unclear what legal or financial terms would govern any transfer, including how the companies’ accumulated funds would be treated.
The underlying companies and Russian authorities are not quoted directly in the supplied report responding to the buyer speculation. The material also does not establish whether all four businesses—Auchan, Lemana PRO, Nestlé and FM Logistic—will follow the same process, or whether the possible State Duma call for war contributions will become a formal proposal. Those questions remain open.
Audit and Ownership Decisions Ahead
The next reported step is an audit of the assets under L.E.V. Management, after which market insiders expect possible owners to come forward. The timing and scope of that audit have not been provided, and the report does not name an official body responsible for it. Readers should distinguish any later confirmation of a sale from further speculation about prospective buyers.
Further developments to watch include announcements by the companies, their parent groups or Russian authorities about the management arrangements; any formal bids or transaction terms; and whether a legislative proposal asking buyers to contribute to the war is actually introduced. Until such details are made public, the eventual ownership of the assets remains unsettled.
Key Questions
Have the Russian assets been sold?
No sale is confirmed in the report. It discusses possible future buyers and says the assets are under temporary management.
Who are the possible buyers named in the report?
Le Monde’s sources named Alexander Vinokurov, Suleiman Kerimov and partners, God Nisanov, Ilham Ragimov, and Dmitry Patrushev. These are reported possibilities, not confirmed bidders.
Which businesses are discussed?
The report concerns Russian assets associated with Auchan, Lemana PRO (formerly Leroy Merlin), Nestlé and FM Logistic.
What is the role of L.E.V. Management?
According to Le Monde’s account, L.E.V. Management and its chief executive, Andrey Krayushkin, have control of the assets. Market insiders quoted by the newspaper describe the arrangement as temporary while an audit is conducted.
Is Russia planning to make buyers contribute to the war?
A source told Le Monde they would not be surprised by proposals in the State Duma calling for buyers of Western companies to contribute. The report does not confirm that such a proposal has been introduced.
Source: rss
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