Russia's Baltika sues Carlsberg subsidiaries for over $900 million in damages

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's Baltika Breweries has sued four Carlsberg subsidiaries for damages amounting to 6.24 billion Danish crowns ($902 million), Russian court filings showed, as the two parties fight over the future of Russia's largest brewer.

Moscow took control of Carlsberg's stake in Baltika in July 2023 and placed it under "temporary management", prompting Carlsberg Group CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen to say its business had been stolen.

According to filings with a court in St Petersburg, Carlsberg Sverige, Carlsberg Deutschland, Carlsberg Breweries and Carlsberg's Russian subsidiary Hoppy Union were all named as defendants.

The court filings did not specify what the damages were. Previous court sessions involving Baltika and Carlsberg have been closed to the public due to the presence of documents containing trade secrets.

"We are not commenting on specific court cases," a Carlsberg spokesperson said. "As stated previously, we continue to take all possible actions, including legal, to protect our employees, assets and operations in relation to Baltika."

Baltika declined to comment.

Baltika and Carlsberg have been locked in a dispute over licensing. Carlsberg's unit in Kazakhstan has filed an appeal with a Russian court after the Danish brewer was banned from selling the Baltika beer brand of its former Russian partner in some international markets.

The preliminary arbitration hearing is scheduled for May 15.

($1 = 6.9165 Danish crowns)

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow and Olga Popova; additional reporting by Terje SolsvikEditing by Gareth Jones and Toby Chopra)