One of Russia's wealthiest business people, Norilsk Nickel chairman Vladimir Potanin, has spoken against confiscating the assets of foreign companies leaving the Russian market because of the war in Ukraine.
The press service of Norilsk Nickel published his statement.
"It will take us back to a hundred years ago, in 1917, and the consequences of such a step - global investors' distrust of Russia - will be noticeable for many decades," Potanin said.
He called the decision of foreign companies "emotional" and expressed hope that they would return to the Russian market.
Potanin also supported the proposal of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation to introduce external management in such companies. "This will allow the owners to keep the property, and the companies - to avoid collapse, continue to produce products and pay money to employees," the businessman said.
As reported earlier, after Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, dozens of global companies and brands from various industries announced the termination of their work in Russia. The ruling party, United Russia, declared that the assets of such companies should be "nationalized", as the withdrawal from the market can be viewed as "deliberate bankruptcy".
A list of 59 foreign companies that can be "nationalized" has already been sent to the government and the Prosecutor General's Office. Among them are Volkswagen, Apple, IKEA, Microsoft, IBM, Shell, McDonald's, Porsche, Toyota and H&M.