MOSCOW, Nov 1 (Reuters) – Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev ridiculed the Danish brewer Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) on Wednesday for thinking it could leave Russia without consequences after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Carlsberg CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen stated on Tuesday that Russia had taken away its business when President Vladimir Putin granted temporary control of its majority stake in the Russian brewer Baltika to the federal government in July. Russia claims that this move does not alter the ownership structure, but Carlsberg announced that it had severed ties with Baltika, canceling all license agreements, and would not engage in a deal with Moscow that would legitimize the seizure. Medvedev, once considered a liberal reformer but now an arch-hawk as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, mocked the brewer in a typically vulgar post on Telegram. “Like their counterparts in the Western menagerie, they abandoned everything in Russia for political reasons…, refused to fulfill their obligations to Russian contractors. And they thought they would be left alone,” he wrote. “‘We impose sanctions on you and provide weapons to the Ukrainian regime, but don’t you dare touch our property, or at least let us sell it profitably’.” The Danish group halted investments in Russia shortly after the invasion and has been attempting to sell Baltika since last year, following the lead of many other Western companies exiting Russia. Carlsberg had eight breweries and approximately 8,400 employees in Russia, and recorded a 9.9 billion Danish crown ($1.4 billion) write-down on Baltika last year. ($1 = 7.0694 Danish crowns) Reporting by Reuters in Moscow and Alexander Marrow in London Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tabAlexander MarrowThomson ReutersChief companies correspondent for Russia, Alexander covers Russia’s economy, markets and the country’s financial, retail and technology sectors, with a particular focus on the Western corporate exodus from Russia and the domestic players eyeing opportunities as the dust settles. Before joining Reuters, Alexander worked on Sky Sports News’ coverage of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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