Survey of these French companies that have chosen to stay in Russia

The publicized withdrawals of companies may have given the impression that Russia had emptied itself of its French groups. It is not so. If Renault, Société Générale, Publicis, Schneider Electric, Atos or Sodexo have left the country with great fanfare, many more companies have remained there. Some, such as Hermès, Safran, Michelin, Crédit Agricole or Decathlon, have suspended all their activity there, hunkering down as long as the storm lasts. Others continue their operations there, in whole or in part. The image risk is however considerable. Accused of indirectly supplying the Russian army, TotalEnergies, which vigorously denies this accusation, paid the price last week. And the stock markets prefer groups that settle the Russian adventure.

The companies that have chosen to stay put forward three main arguments: the pursuit of activities deemed essential for the Russian population, the desire not to insult the future, and the exorbitant cost…