Medvedev’s hard message the western companies that left Russia and now want to return

Russian Security Council vice president Dmitry Medvedev said western companies that interrupted their operations in the country did so on their own initiative, not by determination of the Russian authorities.

The statement was made in response to a question by state agency Tass, released on Thursday, 20.

“We didn’t expel anyone, they left, someone under pressure from their governments, someone for fear, someone in solidarity with the neo -Nazis,” said Medvedev.

The former Russian president also stated that the departure of foreign companies occurred for different reasons, but that their return to the Russian market will be a complex process. According to him, the current context imposes challenges to the revenue of these companies in the country.

Medvedev recalled statements made earlier, in which he had already anticipated the future difficulties that foreign companies would face if they decided to leave Russia. “Life proved that these were true words,” he said.

He cited publications made in March 2022, shortly after the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, in which he already pointed to the possibility of an unfavorable environment to the return of foreign investors to the Russian market, regardless of the reason for withdrawal.

The exit movement of international companies from Russian territory intensified after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Several multinationals announced the suspension of operations, closing units, cancellation of contracts or selling local assets. The decision was accompanied by economic sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia.

Sectors such as technology, energy, retail, food and transportation were impacted by the removal of foreign groups.

In many cases, assets were transferred to Russian or nationalized companies. Local legislation has also been modified to facilitate the replacement of international suppliers with domestic operators.

The Russian government has adopted measures to contain the effects of the departure of these companies, encouraging the replacement of imports, reorganizing production chains and encouraging partnerships with countries considered strategic allies.

Medvedev, which held the presidency of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and the position of Prime Minister until 2020, currently acts as one of the main spokesmen of Kremlin’s political line on security topics and international relations.

His statements reiterate the position of the Russian government that the impact of sanctions and the departure of foreign companies can be neutralized with internal measures and reorientation of economic policy.

The Vice-President of the Security Council did not detailed which specific obstacles would make it difficult to return western companies to the country.

However, analysts consider that factors such as changes in the regulatory framework, replacing foreign brands with local competitors and the current geopolitical context tend to make this process complex.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Moscow has reinforced the discourse of economic self -sufficiency and strengthening business relations with countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. In parallel, Russian authorities maintain recurring criticism of the sanctions and posture of companies that chose to withdraw from the Russian market.

Business organizations and trade chambers have been following the developments of the exit of multinationals and evaluated the impacts on foreign foreign investments. In some sectors, the space left by Western companies has been occupied by companies of other origins or new Russian business groups.

The future of the international presence in the Russian market remains uncertain, amid the continuity of the conflict, the hardening of sanctions and the adoption of new economic guidelines in the country.

Medvedev’s assessment is part of this context and reinforces the position that the reintegration of foreign companies, if it occurs, should face additional restrictions and barriers.