Russian supermarket staff applaud Germany's Schroeder in new board role

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, ​who recently joined the ​supervisory board of Russian supermarket ‌chain Hyperglobus, ​visited one of its Moscow stores on Wednesday and was greeted with applause from employees, ‌Russian TV footage showed. Schroeder has faced criticism, notably in Germany, over his links to Russian business and President Vladimir Putin, ties that have persisted ‌despite Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent waves of Western ‌sanctions.

Hyperglobus was spun off Germany's Globus Holding last year. It announced Schroeder's board appointment last week. The former chancellor smiled broadly as staff broke into sustained applause ⁠after he ​entered the ⁠store, the footage from Russian TV channel RBC showed.

"I’m very pleased to be here, ⁠to see this wonderful hypermarket, to see the results of your work ​and to meet you, my wonderful colleagues," RBC quoted him as ⁠saying. The Russian retailer confirmed Schroeder visited a supermarket on the western outskirts of Moscow.

Schroeder ⁠formed ​a close relationship with Putin while serving as German chancellor from 1998 to 2005, and he later worked for Russian state ⁠companies. His appointment to the Hyperglobus board comes as Russia singles out European ⁠firms in ⁠a fresh drive to strip foreign owners of the right to manage their Russian assets.