Russian branches of Auchan and Leroy Merlin are likely to supply their goods to the Russian army

French enterprises did not leave the Russian market and tried to hide their cooperation with the Russian authorities. However, the evidence suggests otherwise.

Investigative journalists from Le Monde, Bellingcat, and The Insider have published documents, photos, and testimonies that show the involvement of two Russian companies in supplying the Russian military.

In March 2022 alone, Aushan supermarkets in St. Petersburg handed over 2 million rubles worth of goods to the military. To cover it up, they "sold" the goods to a number of enterprises connected to the city government.

One such company bought 700 lighters. Journalists asked the head of the company why she needed so many lighters. She stated that she was afraid of Ukrainian sabotage and power outages. She said that the enterprise planned to use wood stoves to heat its warehouses.

The Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, is the most active full-scale invasion supporter among the heads of Russian municipal authorities.

However, it was not only St. Petersburg supermarkets that supplied Russians with food and necessities. In stores in Samara, Rybinsk, and Vladimir, collection points for "humanitarian aid" were opened.

Instead, products from Leroy Merlin construction hypermarkets were seen among the "humanitarian aid" in temporarily occupied Mariupol. Earlier, the French company seized the Facebook page of its Ukrainian branch and disconnected the Ukrainian employees from the corporate messenger. The workers urged the company to leave the Russian market and collected humanitarian aid for Ukrainians.

Auchan and Leroy Merlin are part of the French holding company Association Familiale Mulliez.