A Russian police general appointed to manage the Russian assets of Auchan, Nestlé and home improvement retailer Lemana PRO has pledged to protect the supermarket chain’s properties from drone attacks, the RBC news website reported Sunday, citing an internal letter it obtained.
Police Major General Andrei Krayushkin, the head of L.E.V. Management, said he intended to preserve Auchan as a single retail chain and ensure the uninterrupted operation of its stores and distribution centers.
“Purchasing, deliveries, store operations and the fulfillment of obligations to customers, suppliers and employees must continue without interruption,” Krayushkin’s letter said. “The stable operation of Auchan LLC is directly linked to ensuring food security.”
Until L.E.V. Management is formally registered as Auchan’s new administrator in Russia’s corporate registry, Krayushkin instructed the retailer’s management to continue purchasing and delivering goods, operating stores and distribution centers, and paying taxes and employee salaries.
He also ordered the company to refrain from major transactions, taking on substantial loans, distributing profits, paying dividends or selling trademarks and other significant assets.
Auchan’s Russian office confirmed to RBC that it had received the letter and said it was prepared to work with the temporary administrator and discuss any issues that arose.
The company added that its stores and other facilities were operating normally and that no changes had been made to their work.
Lemana PRO, formerly Leroy Merlin, said it had received a similar letter and that its facilities were operating normally.
Putin on Sept. 17 transferred the Russian assets of Auchan, Nestlé and Lemana PRO to the temporary management of L.E.V. Management.
The company was registered in October 2024 with charter capital of 15,000 rubles ($180). Krayushkin became its CEO on Sept. 10.
Putin appointed Krayushkin first deputy head of the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Migration Affairs in 2016.
The takeover comes as Ukrainian drone attacks increasingly target Russia’s retail logistics infrastructure.
Since mid-July, strikes have hit at least two dozen warehouses belonging to online retailer Wildberries, destroying a significant portion of its storage capacity, while four Ozon logistics centers have also been targeted.
In August, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing the state to place strategically important facilities under temporary administration if their operators are deemed to have failed to protect them adequately from Ukrainian attacks or repair damage quickly.
The measure covers industrial, communications, transport and logistics facilities considered important to national security and economic stability.
Auchan has operated in Russia for more than 20 years and has 230 stores in 100 cities, employing about 30,000 people. Its turnover reached 127 billion rubles ($1.51 billion) in the first half of 2026.
Lemana PRO has 112 stores in 66 cities and controls 27.2% of Russia’s home improvement market, according to the Infoline consultancy.
Nestlé operates six factories in Russia, employs about 7,000 people and generates annual revenue of about $2.5 billion in the country.
The assets transferred to L.E.V. Management are worth at least 600 billion rubles ($7.14 billion), according to the Kommersant newspaper.
Russian authorities have seized the assets of at least 30 foreign companies since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Russian operations of Danone, Carlsberg, Fortum, Uniper, Ariston, Bosch and AB InBev are among those that have been placed under temporary state control.
The KSE Institute estimated the value of seized foreign assets before their takeover at $74 billion. It put foreign companies’ overall losses in Russia, including write-offs, seizures, court rulings and exit taxes, at $170 billion.
This article was translated with the help of artificial intelligence and was reviewed by a Moscow Times editor before publication. Learn more about our newsroom's AI policy here.
Read this article in Russian at The Moscow Times' Russian service.
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