The russian branch of Leroy Merlin supplied a drone manufacturer

According to internal documents from "Albatros", the value of the purchases was modest: between February and mid-June 2023, the company transferred approximately $5,600–$6,400 under the contract. "Albatros" made no secret of the fact that it manufactured drones, but it was not yet subject to sanctions – and that was enough to become a corporate client of an international company.

One of the first mentions of Leroy Merlin in "Albatros" documents dates back to October 2017. At that time, the company drew up a quotation for the ‘first large aircraft’, i.e. an aeroplane-type drone. Among the cost items were ropes, plastic cable ties and braided cord, and opposite them was a note indicating where to buy all this: "collect from Leroy Merlin".

In 2018, materials from Leroy Merlin were intended for use in the launch ramp from which the drones are launched. Subsequently, the company regularly purchased consumables for production from Leroy Merlin Vostok LLC (the russian legal entity of Leroy Merlin): adhesives, polystyrene sheets, solvents and fittings. How such materials are used in production can be seen in a video filmed in 2024 at the ‘Albatros’ workshop in Alabuga, where the "Albatros M5" drone is assembled.

The full-scale invasion did not halt these purchases. In May and July 2022, "Albatros" continued to purchase the same materials from Leroy Merlin. Meanwhile, Adeo continued to operate in russia. In March 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking before the French Parliament, called on Renault, Auchan, Leroy Merlin and other French companies to stop sponsoring the russian war machine. The group refused to withdraw from russia, citing its obligations to customers and local staff. At the time, russia was Leroy Merlin’s largest overseas market and accounted for around 20 per cent of the group’s revenue.

In the autumn of 2022, Adeo publicly condemned russia’s aggression and announced that it was halting new investment in and funding of its russian business.

In January 2023, it was announced that "Albatros" would become a resident of "Alabuga". In February, the company entered into a customer account agreement with "Leroy Merlin Vostok". From then on, it made purchases not as an ordinary in-store customer, but as a corporate client: a corporate card was issued for "Albatros" and a personal account was opened on leroymerlin.ru. The agreement was concluded with a legal entity, so Leroy Merlin knew the buyer at least by name and bank details.

The agreement was signed on behalf of "Albatros" by Alexey Florov, who at the time was officially employed by "Alabuga". By mid-June 2023, ‘Albatros’ had transferred 472,000 roubles under this contract to pay for consumables — at the exchange rate at the time, this amounted to approximately $5,600–6,400.

In February 2023, Leroy Merlin found itself at the centre of another controversy. Journalists from russia, France and the Netherlands published an investigation revealing that pro-Kremlin activists were using the company’s delivery service to supply goods to the Russian military in occupied Mariupol. The owners stated at the time that they were shocked by these allegations.

A month later, on 24 March 2023, Adeo announced its intention to transfer the russian business to local management in order to safeguard the jobs of 45,000 employees. There is no indication in Albatros’s documents that the contract was amended or terminated following this announcement.

In December 2023, the EU imposed sanctions on "Albatros" (the US, Switzerland and Australia subsequently joined in).

That same month, the owner of the russian legal entity Leroy Merlin changed: a 99.993 per cent stake was transferred to Scenari Holding LP — a company from the UAE established in 2023. The "LP" in the name stands for limited partnership: limited partners provide capital but do not manage the business; management is carried out by the general partner. Previously, this stake was held by the French company Bricolage Investissement France, part of the Adeo group.

However, 100 per cent of this holding company’s capital was contributed by Bricolage Investissement France itself as a limited partner, whilst the general partner was represented by Laurent Defassier, the managing director of the russian Leroy Merlin.

In the "Albatros" register of contracts, compiled in April 2025, the agreement with Leroy Merlin is marked as: "terminated unilaterally at Leroy’s initiative". There is no date of termination in the register, so it is unclear whether this decision was taken before December 2023 or after the sanctions and the formal change of ownership.

In March 2024, the russian legal entity changed its name to OOO "Le Monlid", and in June announced that it was renaming the stores "Lemana PRO". Adeo retained a 0.007 per cent stake and still owns the Leroy Merlin brand.

On 17 September 2026, Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring this stake (99.993 per cent) to the temporary management of the company "L.E.V. Management", registered in 2024. It is headed by Andrei Krayushkin, who, according to russian media reports, is a Major General in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The company itself stated that it only learnt of the decree after it had been published.

The chief executive was also replaced shortly afterwards. Laurent Defassier, who had been managing the russian business since 2019 – notably when "Albatros" signed a contract with Leroy Merlin – was replaced as head of the company by Denis Isaev, the son of former State Duma deputy Rizvangadji Isaev.

Source: Molfar Intelligence Institute