Retail network Auchan has appointed Ilya Berdnikov as its new general director in Russia, according to a report published by Russian newspaper Kommersant.
The change in leadership follows the transfer of Auchan and several other major foreign assets to the temporary external management of JSC L.E.V. Management on September 17, 2026. Under the new corporate structure, former general director Asya Balabay will retain her role running daily business operations, while Berdnikov will assume overall control of the company, Kommersant reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Neither Auchan press representatives nor Berdnikov responded immediately to requests for comment. JSC L.E.V. Management, the entity selected to administer the retail business, was registered less than two years ago.
Executive background and state property role
Berdnikov has served as executive director at Rosimushchestvo, Russia's federal agency for state property management, since December 2024. The state body manages federal property and oversees state-owned commercial assets across the country. Prior to his government post, Berdnikov worked in the private retail sector, heading one of the departments at X5 Group between 2020 and 2022.
Auchan, owned by France's Mulliez family, is one of Europe's largest food retailers and has maintained a significant presence in Russia through its extensive network of hypermarkets and supermarkets. X5 Group is one of Russia's primary food retailers, operating major supermarket and convenience chains including Pyaterochka and Perekrestok.
External management of foreign assets
The structural changes follow a presidential decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin placing the Russian assets of Auchan and Swiss food conglomerate Nestle under temporary external control. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that the decision was made because both firms are European businesses based in countries designated by Moscow as unfriendly.
Russia introduced legal frameworks enabling the temporary transfer of foreign-owned assets to Russian administration following Western economic sanctions. The measures target companies headquartered in nations on Russia's official list of unfriendly states, which includes the European Union member states and Switzerland, where Auchan and Nestle are based.
