Putin Orders Temporary Management of Metro’s Russian Subsidiary

This is the Kremlin applying its temporary-management tool to another foreign retailer, and pairing it with an exit permission for a different Western firm — a reminder that Russian asset control is now decided case by case, not by any consistent rule. For Metro, the practical effect is loss of operational control over its Russian stores, while Western Union gets a route out. The signal for other foreign-owned businesses still in Russia is that staying and leaving are both subject to political discretion. Whether this becomes a template for more retailers is the open question.