Russian Carlsberg employees were arrested after the company was seized

Carlsberg's Russian subsidiary Baltika Breweries has been detained by its boss, Dennis Sherstennikov and Anton Rogachevsky, following the Kremlin's takeover of the company in July. The pair are accused of fraud, but Carlsberg denies the allegations. The company emphasized that the Kremlin's efforts to justify their illegal takeover have now evolved into targeting innocent employees.

Carlsberg's main priority is the safety of its employees, including those in Russia, and it will do everything possible to help them under these difficult circumstances. Last month, Carlsberg's boss, Jacob Aarup-Andersen, claimed that the Kremlin had "stolen our business in Russia". The Danish brewer was in the process of selling Baltika Breweries as it sought to leave the Russian market before the government seized control of the company.

Investigators claim that Sherstennikov and Rogachevsky acquired intellectual property rights for the companies Carlsberg Kazakhstan and Vista BWay Co, which previously belonged to Baltika, through deception. The rights, estimated to be worth more than 295 million roubles (£2.65m), enabled Baltika to supply its products to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, and Belarus.

Baltika produces some of the most recognisable beer brands in Russia, with 8,400 employees across eight plants. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February last year, many Western companies have come under pressure to leave Russia and shut down operations. Carlsberg announced in October that it had terminated all of its license agreements to produce, market, and sell its products in the country, but Baltika appealed to the arbitration court with a request to prohibit Carlsberg from terminating the licensing agreement.