The Russian Foreign Ministry, represented by Maria Zakharova, dismissed Carlsberg chief Jacob Aarup-Andersen’s claims that Moscow seeks to seize the brewer’s business. The ministry’s spokesperson described the allegations as baseless and said they reflected an attempt to twist Moscow’s role in the ongoing situation around the Baltic Baltika brand. The ministry’s statement was published on the department’s official website as part of its regular briefings.
Zakharova insisted that Aarup-Andersen’s remarks appear designed to justify Carlsberg’s strategy to exit the Russian market and to portray Moscow as a force aiming to bankrupt local firms and repatriate profits earned within Russia. She characterized the Danish executive’s accusations as groundless and inconsistent with the responsibilities and status of the head of an international company, noting that they do not align with a legitimate leadership role on the global stage.
The foreign ministry representative urged the management of Carlsberg to familiarize themselves with Russian law and clarified that Baltika is not a state-owned enterprise. The ministry’s clarification came amid questions about the governance of Baltika and the broader implications for foreign investors operating in Russia.
Earlier, Carlsberg claimed that Russia’s authorities had taken control of Baltika through a process of administrative management in order to transfer operations to the Federal Property Management Agency. The company warned of potential international court action if the matter remained unresolved within a six-month window.
Carlsberg had previously accused Russian authorities of illicitly appropriating its business assets and of stripping Baltika of the right to use certain international brands. In response, the Ministry of Finance rejected the allegations and framed the state-of-affairs as a reaction to sanctions. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, remarked that the company had effectively withdrawn from its Russian operations and thanked it for what he described as its contribution to Russia’s defense industry and modernization efforts. His remarks underscored a broader narrative about corporate presence and strategic assets within the country’s economic framework.
Earlier reports indicated that the government had established guidelines for compensating foreign companies for assets located in the Russian Federation, a move seen as part of Russia’s broader approach to managing foreign investment and sanctions-related challenges while attempting to preserve economic balance in a tense geopolitical environment. This sequence of events continues to shape how multinational groups evaluate their operations and risk exposure in the region, especially in sectors tied to branding, intellectual property, and intergovernmental policy frameworks. (citation: Russian Foreign Ministry briefing)