Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday added Russia’s biggest car dealership – Rolf – to a list of foreign-owned companies put under the temporary management of the Russian state.
The transfer of its shares was set out in a decree published on a government website on Friday.
Russia has taken temporary control of a number of subsidiaries of Western companies and Western firm’s stakes in local joint ventures this year in response to seizures of Russian assets in the West.
Beer maker Carlsberg and dairy giant Danone are among those companies that have been affected.
Rolf, which has traditionally sold a wide range of foreign-branded cars, belongs to a Cyprus-based company.
The company was founded by Russian businessman Sergei Petrov who lives in Austria and who has been accused by the Russian authorities of illegally channelling money abroad, a charge he denies.
