After simulating its exit from Russia, French retailer remained the country’s largest foreign consumer goods company, paying an estimated $128 million in profit tax to the Kremlin last year — bolstering its military budget.
B4Ukraine Coalition and the KSE Institute are urging French retailer Leroy Merlin to fully cease its operations in Russia and stop financially supporting its war against Ukraine through tax payments.
Unlike many Western companies that cut ties with Russia following its illegal 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Leroy Merlin defied calls to exit the country, claiming its employees had ‘done nothing wrong’ and insisting it owed it to its customers to continue supplying them.
In March 2023, Leroy Merlin’s parent company, ADEO, announced it would transfer control of the retailer’s Russian assets to local management — a move the Kremlin welcomed as ‘civilised’ and ‘reasonable.’ By June of the same year, the local management stated it was rebranding the company as Lemana PRO.
An investigation by the French media outlet L’Express revealed that Leroy Merlin’s rebranding to Lemana Pro is merely a faсade: the company is still managed by French director Laurent Defassier, its trademarks remain registered until 2031, and products continue to be supplied through the Adeo Group. This sale appears to be a classic case of ‘layering,’ a financial scheme designed to conceal the true ownership structure and allow the French company to maintain profits while obscuring its ongoing presence in the Russian market.
According to estimates by the KSE Institute, since the start of the full-scale invasion, Leroy Merlin has generated approximately $21 billion in revenue in Russia and paid at least $375 million in profit taxes, including $128 million in 2024 alone.
B4Ukraine has written to Leroy Merlin several times regarding its ongoing operations in Russia, but has not received a response.
In July 2025, Russian propaganda media claimed that Leroy Merlin’s products were being used by the Russian army in its war against Ukraine. While these claims have not been independently confirmed, they underscore the significant risk of complicity in Russia’s war crimes.
Moreover, as a major employer, Leroy Merlin may become directly involved in the war by complying with Russia’s partial mobilization law, which requires companies to facilitate the conscription of eligible employees and provide material support to the Russian military upon request.
“Leroy Merlin’s business operations in Russia undermine the French government’s strong support for Ukraine. They also stand in stark contrast to the decisions of almost 40 other French companies — including Renault, Danone, Societe Generale, and Michelin — which have fully withdrawn from the Russian market, often at significant financial cost, demonstrating that a responsible and orderly exit from Russia is possible,” said Andrii Onopriienko, Deputy Director for Development at KSE and Head of the LeaveRussia Project.
“In 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Leroy Merlin to ‘stop being sponsors of the Russian war machine, stop financing the murder of children and women, of rape.’ More than three years into this devastating war, that call remains as urgent as ever,” said Nezir Sinani, Executive Director of B4Ukraine. “Leroy Merlin must choose to stand on the right side of history — as the French people did.”
B4Ukraine and KSE Institute call on Leroy Merlin and other international companies to immediately and completely exit the Russian market. By continuing their operations in Russia, businesses risk not only severe reputational damage, but also government expropriation of their assets and potential legal liability for supporting Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine.