00:00Russia has seized control of the local businesses of Swiss food giant Nestle
00:05and French supermarket group Oshon
00:07in the Kremlin's biggest takeover of foreign corporate assets since at least 2024.
00:13It is the latest action affecting Western companies in Russia
00:17as Moscow responds to sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine
00:22and raises fresh questions about the future of foreign firms still operating in the country.
00:31President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian businesses of both companies
00:35along with two other French firms into temporary state administration.
00:39The Kremlin says one factor behind the decision
00:42is that the companies are from countries Russia considers unfriendly.
00:47Russia has taken control of dozens of foreign-owned businesses
00:51since introducing a framework for temporary administration of certain foreign-owned assets in 2023.
00:57In several cases, those assets were later transferred to Russian buyers,
01:02approved by the authorities.
01:04French food group Danone and Danish brewer Karsberg were among those affected,
01:09eventually selling their Russian businesses at steep discounts.
01:12More than a thousand companies have left the country
01:15since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022
01:18after Moscow was hit with multiple rounds of international sanctions.
01:22French small businesses will come to a market
01:22to twice
01:23with a Roman people call
01:24about an opening of specialises in Ukraine.
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