Moscow planning to use seized American company to supply food to Russian army — Reuters

The Russian authorities are planning to use the canned food producer Glavprodukt — which was owned by an American investor until Moscow seized it in October — to supply food to the Russian army, Reuters reports, citing a letter from the company’s new management to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

According to the letter, the seizure was necessary to maintain stable production, including for future contracts with the National Guard and the Defense Ministry.

The letter also states that after Glavprodukt was transferred to Russia’s Federal Property Management Agency, a new CEO was appointed at the request of the food producer Druzhba Narodov. A 2018 press release shows that Druzhba Narodov was the sole supplier to the National Guard in 2019–2020.

Reuters notes that Glavprodukt had not previously supplied the Russian military. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the company’s nationalization will be among the issues raised in any talks to reset U.S.–Russia relations.