Kommersant, citing sources, reported the request; The Insider provided the details. Until 2022 the two companies bottled Coca-Cola and other international brands in Russia. They now produce Dobry, Rich, Moya Semya, Pulpy, Burn and BonAqua drinks.
Mikhail Burmistrov, general director of Infoline-Analitika, valued the business at a minimum of 245 billion rubles: 150 billion for the business itself and 95 billion in cash.
According to The Insider, the accounts of Coca-Cola HBC's Russian divisions, including Multon, held €1.04 billion as of July 3, 2026. At the end of 2025 the figure was €850.2 million, an increase of €190.3 million, or 22.4%, over six months. Coca-Cola HBC itself says sanctions and other restrictions make it difficult to withdraw profit from Russia.
The group's revenue in Russia in 2025 was €1.61 billion, against €1.36 billion a year earlier, a rise of almost 19%. Bochkari's revenue for the same year was 8.64 billion rubles. The Insider calculated that the international group's Russian divisions took in roughly 18 times the revenue of the company seeking to manage its assets.
In its appeal, according to Kommersant, Bochkari argues that the foreign owner's suspension of investment is hurting tax receipts and the Russian economy. The authors also cite Coca-Cola's support for Ukraine and its sponsorship of sports competitions in which Russian athletes are not allowed to take part.
If granted management, Bochkari promises to invest in, among other things, the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, described in the letter as "Russia's historical territories," and to finance charitable programs.
The appeal was sent to the president in mid-October and then passed to the government for consideration. One of Kommersant's interlocutors says the proposal received partial support from the relevant deputy prime ministers. No government decision has been announced.
Smagin owns 97.9% of Bochkari. He has served in the Altai Krai Legislative Assembly since 2011 and in the previous convocation was deputy chairman of the committee on agricultural policy. In September 2026 he was re-elected and joined the United Russia faction.
That same month Smagin acquired the Russian plants of the international company Canpack, which makes aluminum beverage cans. According to an official Canpack statement, the company received $122 million for its stakes in the former Russian enterprises and recognized a loss of $354.7 million from losing control.
The deal followed a Putin decision: on December 31, 2025, Canpack's Russian enterprises were placed under the temporary management of the company Stalelement. In August 2026 the management arrangement was canceled, and on September 10 Canpack completed the sale of the assets. While under Stalelement's management, the plants transferred 500 million rubles to the People's Front. Everything for Victory! fund and later another 1 billion, The Moscow Times writes.