Russian firm "KS Logistics" has asked President Vladimir Putin to place five of Nestlé's Russian units under temporary management, a step that could open the way to a change of ownership, Kommersant reported on August 17.

The request marks a fresh attempt to prise a major Western food producer's Russian business out of foreign hands, using the temporary-management tool the Kremlin has applied to other exited or scaled-back foreign owners since 2022.

The five units are Nestlé Russia, Nestlé Kuban, Cereal Partners Rus, TsPB Nestlé and Atrium Innovations Rus, according to the report.

The business is valued at RUB160bn-RUB170bn ($2bn-$2.13bn), Kommersant said, adding that temporary management could be the first stage in a change of owner.

KS Logistika, described elsewhere as a little-known importer of German power tools, justified its request by the absence of plans to expand capacity and the halt to exports of Russian-made goods.

The company may represent the interests of outside parties, The Moscow Times reported, citing sources.

The Russian government will allegedly assess whether the measure is warranted by the end of the year.  State bodies had not sent queries to Nestlé's Russian office over the KS approach, and the company said it had received no such requests.

Nestlé, founded in 1866, is the world's largest food producer, with products spanning instant coffee, dairy, baby food, confectionery, drinks and pet food. It entered the Russian market in 1994 and suspended its investment programme in 2024.

It has six production sites in Russia, in the Kaluga, Vologda, Samara and Vladimir regions and the Perm and Krasnodar territories.

The Russian state has done this before, transferring the assets of Carlsberg and Danone in 2023. 

The shares of Danone and the Baltika brewing company owned by Carlsberg Group were transferred to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency (Rosimushchestvo).