{
  "id": 9341169,
  "title": "Putin restarts battle against Western companies in Russia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/putin-restarts-battle-against-western-companies-in-russia",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-23T13:16:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Bell",
    "slug": "the-bell",
    "url": "https://en.thebell.io/putin-restarts-battle-against-western-companies-in-russia/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russia's government has begun a renewed effort to reassert control over assets belonging to foreign companies, according to recent developments. On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree placing the assets of Auchan, Leroy Merlin, Nestle, and FM Logistics under external management. The value of these assets is estimated at €6 billion. An obscure company called LEV Management, led by former police general Andrei Krayushkin, was appointed to handle these assets. While the measure is not a formal nationalization, Western shareholders lose all management rights, and foreign ownership is often forced to sell the assets to Kremlin-backed entities. The Kremlin justifies the asset seizure on political grounds, particularly in its rivalry with Western countries and EU nations. Additionally, the move could be an attempt to secure a bargaining chip in potential future conflicts, such as threats of asset confiscation in return for Ukrainian budget shortfalls. The Russian government is eager to regain control over these assets, but Western countries are unlikely to simply acquiesce and allow the assets to be seized.",
  "summary": "After a long pause, Russia’s authorities have renewed their campaign of nationalizing assets held by foreign companies — and they’ve gone big.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}