France's Economy, Finance, and Industrial Sovereignty Minister, Roland Lescure, has strongly criticized Russia's recent move to take control of assets from two major French retail companies, Auchan and Leroy Merlin. He called the action an "hostile act" and described it as "economic blackmail." Lescure expressed France's desire to cancel the takeover and suggested the possibility of turning to international courts to challenge the move. He emphasized that Russia's decision would not deter France from continuing its support for Ukraine or from maintaining a firm stance against Moscow. According to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring the assets of Auchan, Swiss-based Nestlé, and the former Leroy Merlin—now known as Lemana Pro—to a Russian company called L.E.V. Management, which will manage them under "temporary administration." The Kremlin explained that the move was partly a response to Western countries, which Russia views as "unfriendly," for their involvement in military actions against Russia. However, Moscow clarified that this is not a permanent seizure of the companies at this time. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country has increasingly taken control of assets from Western companies that have either left or reduced their presence in Russia. In 2023, the Russian branch of Danone was placed under temporary administration before its assets were transferred to interests linked to Chechnya. These actions are now part of a larger conflict over frozen Russian assets in Europe and reflect the growing economic tensions between Russia and the West. Alexandre Chokhine, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, described the recent takeovers as "preventive signals" aimed at the European Union. These signals are intended to warn European companies about the possible consequences of continuing to operate in Russia. Chokhine suggested that the move is meant to caution European businesses that their presence in Russia could lead to similar actions against their assets.