Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree transferring the stakes held by international tobacco company Japan Tobacco Inc. (JTI) in its Russian manufacturing facilities to the temporary management of JSC Industrial Assets. The document was published on Russia’s official legal information portal.

The decree specifically covers the stakes in Donskoy Tabak, Pereslavl-Tabak, JTI Yelets and Kres Neva, which are being placed under external management, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

JTI, one-third of which is owned by the Japanese government, is the world's third-largest tobacco manufacturer and has been operating in Russia since 1999. The company has since become the country's largest tobacco producer.

Its product portfolio includes international cigarette brands such as Winston, Mevius, Camel, Sobranie, Glamour and LD, as well as Russian brands Russky Stil, Petr I and Troika.

The Russian presidential decree "On the Temporary Management of Certain Property," adopted in April 2023, established a mechanism for placing assets owned by entities from countries deemed unfriendly by Moscow under temporary management.

The mechanism was introduced in response to the seizure of assets belonging to Russian owners or restrictions imposed on their property rights abroad.