Latest foreign news on the Russia-Ukraine, U.S.-Iran, and Israel-Palestine conflicts as of September 19

Real-time updates~ Thunder Rabbit 8:06:39 Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Russia has demanded that Japan withdraw the U.S. 'Typhon' missile system from its territory. Thunder Rabbit 8:12:19 Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Japanese leadership must acknowledge the outcomes of World War II—including territorial outcomes. Thunder Rabbit 8:25:57 An attack struck the Odessa regional office of Ukrainian Railways. Thunder Rabbit 8:31:15 The Kremlin explained the seizure of Auchan and Nestlé assets, stating these assets will be transferred to a Russian company for temporary management. Thunder Rabbit 8:40:29 EU ambassadors again failed to reach consensus on extending sanctions against Russia. Thunder Rabbit 8:59:23 Reuters reports: Russian and Alternative for Germany (AfD) leadership are preparing talks on restoring Russian natural gas supplies to Germany. Thunder Rabbit 9:14:52 Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary to the Russian President, stated Russia has no secret plan to mobilize 300,000 troops after the elections. Thunder Rabbit 9:27:19 South Korean President Lee Jae-myung candidly admitted he has been losing sleep due to major difficulties in negotiations over a $350 billion investment in the United States. Thunder Rabbit 9:39:15 Five bulk cargo vessels delivering goods to the Ukrainian Armed Forces were attacked. Thunder Rabbit 9:49:09 Bloomberg: Saudi Aramco has notified European customers it will halt oil deliveries starting in October. Thunder Rabbit 9:55:56 Deafening explosions rocked Kyiv; missile strikes are underway. Thunder Rabbit 10:07:02 Zelenskyy stated Ukraine faces a 'staggering' budget deficit. Thunder Rabbit 10:08:49 Zelenskyy’s former press secretary claimed that, when Russian forces approached Kyiv in 2022, Zelenskyy panicked and ordered bridges and metro stations destroyed. Thunder Rabbit 10:14:54 Russian experts: Japan and South Korea’s defense industrial capabilities have surpassed those of any European country. Thunder Rabbit 10:23:49 Politico: Ukraine faces logistical collapse—500 locomotives have already been destroyed. Thunder Rabbit 10:30:25 The White House stated Trump signed a 'hellish sanctions' bill targeting Russia. Thunder Rabbit 10:43:53 Ukraine announced a new initiative aimed at expanding recruitment of foreign mercenaries into its armed forces. Thunder Rabbit 10:59:03 Reuters reports: Russia is launching large-scale salvos of modified vintage missiles—not Iskander missiles—to degrade Ukraine’s air defenses. Thunder Rabbit 11:06:21 The U.S. State Department approved the sale of $2.68 billion worth of air defense modernization equipment to Kyiv. Thunder Rabbit 11:18:31 Putin: Although Ukraine publicly proposes resuming negotiations, its actions deliberately obstruct any talks. Thunder Rabbit 11:24:42 Zaporizhzhia suffered heavy strikes: infrastructure was burned down. Thunder Rabbit 11:32:48 Trump expelled CNN, Politico, and MSNOW from the White House, citing their 'persistent dissemination of false news'—these media outlets are now banned from entering the presidential residence.

The Kremlin’s takeover of Nestlé and Auchan assets: Russia’s foreign-investment risks are escalating comprehensively

Please remember to like and share! If you haven’t yet subscribed, please follow the account 'Sanlang Macroeconomics'—thank you! Summary: Russia has placed Nestlé’s and Auchan’s assets—and those of other European companies operating in Russia—under the temporary management of an obscure Russian firm. On the surface, this appears merely a change in operational control; in reality, however, it significantly amplifies policy, property rights, and exit risks for foreign investors in Russia. As similar cases mount, the Russian market is shifting—from a matter of commercial investment environment concerns—to a fundamental national risk assessment issue that enterprises must urgently re-evaluate. Even Chinese enterprises are, in fact, not safe in Russia. Russia has struck again. This time, the targets are Nestlé and Auchan. Two globally renowned corporations, long-established in Russia, have suddenly lost control over their local operations. What truly warrants attention is not how much money these two companies have lost—but a far larger question: Why is Russia losing the trust of foreign investors? I. Putin signed a presidential decree stripping Nestlé and Auchan of their assets and operational control, placing them under Russian temporary management. On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree placing Nestlé’s, Auchan’s, French Leroy Merlin’s, and FM Logistic’s relevant Russian assets and equity under 'temporary management'. The Russian government did not explicitly label this action as permanent confiscation, instead using the legal term 'temporary management'. Yet for foreign enterprises, the most critical change has already occurred: they have lost direct control over their Russian operations. The official justification offered by Russia is clear-cut: these firms originate from France and Switzerland—countries Russia has designated as 'unfriendly'—and which are either imposing sanctions on Russia or supporting Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Russia’s measures target European enterprises from 'unfriendly countries'. This round attracted the greatest attention toward Nestlé and Auchan. Nestlé operates six factories in Russia with approximately 7,000 employees and previously generated roughly 2 billion Swiss francs in annual sales there. Auchan runs about 230 stores and online operations in Russia, employing around 30,000 people. In other words, these are not small newcomers to the Russian market, but multinational corporations with extensive local assets and well-established employee systems. Hence arises the key question: If even such enterprises cannot guarantee control over their assets, how should other foreign investors assess the Russian market? II. What truly alarms foreign investors is: To whom were these assets handed over? There is another highly significant detail. The Russian assets of Nestlé, Auchan, and other firms were assigned to a Russian company named L.E.V. Management for temporary management. This company was previously unknown, and its publicly available business track record is extremely limited. Russian media and investigative agencies report that the firm was established only recently and lacks any prior operational experience commensurate with managing multinational corporations like Nestlé or Auchan. This raises a very practical concern: Why would such massive multinational corporate assets be entrusted to a previously obscure company? Of course, legally speaking, the current status remains 'temporary management', not final transfer of ownership. But investors have never cared about semantics—they care about substance.

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Nestlé's Russian subsidiary vows to maintain operations following a presidential decree transferring control of its assets to temporary administration, asserting the move does not constitute nationalization.

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