They are almost in tears": Putin complains about Western sanctions Putin dismissed the Western sanctions against Russia as stupid, arguing that some European companies do not want to leave the Russian market. According to him, the representatives of these companies "almost screamed" when they were forced to back down under pressure from their governments. Meanwhile, in Russia, the assets of several foreign companies, including Nestlé, Metro, Auchan, Leroy Merlin and Tract, have been transferred to temporary state management.