Russia has taken control of utilities owned by Fortum Oyj and Uniper, marking the first such move in retaliation for EU asset freezes over its Ukraine invasion. President Putin signed a decree allowing ‘temporary’ state control over the assets of individuals or companies from ‘unfriendly’ states. Uniper’s 83.7% stake in Unipro PJSC and Fortum’s 98.2% stake in local Fortum PJSC are the only assets listed in Putin’s decree addendum. Both companies were blocked by the Kremlin from selling their stakes after Putin ordered troops into Ukraine last year.