Dmitry Medvedev, former President of Russia and current Deputy Chairman of the country's Security Council, defended the decision on temporary control over the assets of European companies on Saturday.
The issue concerned the transfer of assets belonging to Swiss Nestlé, French Auchan, and the Leroy Merlin group, which was renamed Le Monlid in 2024, to a Russian company within the territory of the Russian Federation. France expressed disagreement with this measure, and the French Ministries of Economy and Foreign Affairs demanded that Moscow revoke the decision regarding Auchan.
In a Telegram post, Medvedev began by stating: 'I am tired of being surprised by the arrogance of these pathetic European scoundrels.' The former President of Russia reminded that it was European countries that 'imposed full sanctions against companies' in Russia, which 'affected the interests of millions of Russian citizens' and 'even prohibited cultural ties' with this country.
He added that they 'are waging a direct war against Russia, providing our adversary with everything they can—from missiles and intelligence information to direct funding to maintain bandit rule.' Medvedev sharply reacted to the criticism, saying: 'Now look at their companies—they are a sacred cow. Do not touch Nestlé, Auchan, and other companies that brought us significant revenue.' He noted that even the temporary management established by the presidential decree caused a wave of panic among European governments.
Medvedev went further, believing that 'for the sake of principle,' Russia 'should go beyond temporary management of foreign assets,' recalling 'the first decrees of Soviet power, based on which foreign factories and enterprises were forcibly confiscated and transferred to state ownership without any compensation, and no one returned anything to anyone.' He concluded: 'In the end, just like a hundred years ago, these Euro-pathetic people only understand brute force.'
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing the Russian company L.E.V. Management to temporarily take control of Nestlé and Auchan assets. A similar measure was adopted regarding shares of the Le Monlid store chain, which previously operated under the Leroy Merlin brand in Russia.
Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov reported that this decision affects companies from countries that the Russian Federation considers 'unforgivable.' Among the factors considered, he detailed the support provided by the mentioned states to Ukraine and their alleged participation in attacks on critical civilian infrastructure in Russia. Peskov emphasized that since it is only about 'establishing temporary control' over the assets, noting that no other decisions have been made regarding their possible transfer or sale to the managing company.