November 05, 2023

A Brewer's Betrayal


A Brewer's Betrayal
Carlsberg lager. Unsplash.

Following the release of its quarterly report, Jacob Orup-Andersen, the newly appointed CEO of Danish multinational brewing corporation Carlsberg, affirmed the company's stance against asset seizure in Russia. This announcement was reported by Reuters.

"It is impossible to bypass the fact that they [the Russian authorities] stole our business in Russia, and we are not going to help them give it a legalized look," said Orup-Andersen. “We are not going to make a deal with the Russian government, which somehow justifies the illegal seizure of our business.”

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Carlsberg, as numerous other Western enterprises, chose to exit the Russian market. In June 2022, the Danish conglomerate disclosed it had found a buyer for its Russian operations. But the situation took a significant turn in July, when President Vladimir Putin implemented the nationalization of Carlsberg's stake in the Baltika brewing company.

In October 2023, Carlsberg officially declared the revocation of licenses previously granted to Baltika for the production and distribution of a wide array of Carlsberg brands, including iconic names such as Tuborg, Kronenbourg, and Holsten.

Orup-Andersen continued, "When these licenses expire, they will no longer be allowed to manufacture any of our products. Of course, I can't guarantee that this will happen, but we expect it.”

On October 20, Baltika successfully secured interim legal measures against Carlsberg through a court ruling. The court, in response to Baltika's petition, issued an injunction, restraining Rospatent from registering the termination of licenses for the prominent brands, which encompass Tuborg, Kronenbourg, Seth & Riley's Garage, Holsten, and LAV.

In response to Orup-Andersen's remarks, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation said that the brewing entity Baltika is not under state ownership. It asserted that an administration of temporary management has been enacted, but that this move does not signify any alteration in the ownership framework. Furthermore, the Ministry of Finance underlined that the decision to implement temporary management at Baltika is in accordance with Russian law.

You Might Also Like

Hoppy Endings
  • August 30, 2023

Hoppy Endings

Heineken has completed its withdrawal from Russia, settling its operations for €1.
The Booze Must Flow
  • November 15, 2022

The Booze Must Flow

Russians hankering for foreign alcohol can now rest easy: state ministries will oversee the delivery of international alcohol products through a parallel import system.
A Debilitating Drought
  • July 30, 2022

A Debilitating Drought

Following the Ukrainian invasion, Russian bars and restaurants are expecting to face foreign liquor shortages. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955