Russia took control of shares belonging to French agribusiness Danone and Danish brewer Carlsberg, according to a decree published on Sunday. The decree signed by President Vladimir Putin says the Russian state would "temporarily" manage shares belonging to Danone Russia and to Baltika, which is owned by Carlsberg.

Russia took control of shares belonging to French agribusiness Danone and Danish brewer Carlsberg, according to a decree published on Sunday. The decree signed by President Vladimir Putin says the Russian state would "temporarily" manage shares belonging to Danone Russia and to Baltika, which is owned by Carlsberg. Danone said it was investigating the situation and "preparing to take all necessary measures to protect its rights as shareholder of Danone Russia, and the continuity of the operations of the business in the interest of all stakeholders, in particular its employees". Baltika is a leading brewing company in Russia, with approximately 30 percent of the market share. Carlsberg announced in March that it would sell the entirety of its activities in Russia, where it employed 8,400 people. Last month the multinational brewer said it had found an unnamed buyer for the business, more than a year after announcing its exit from the market due to the conflict in Ukraine. "Following the presidential decree, the prospects for this sales process are now highly uncertain," Carlsberg said in a statement. "The Carlsberg Group has not received any official information from the Russian Authorities regarding the presidential decree or the consequences for Baltika Breweries." One of few multinationals to have remained in Russia since the Ukraine offensive began, Danone said in October that it planned to withdraw from most of its business. Danone then said it would give up the dairy and plant-based business in Russia, retaining only its infant nutrition branch. The move could result in a write-off of up to one billion euros ($1.1 billion), it said. A large number of major Western companies have pulled out of Russia since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive on February 24, 2022. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Russia seizes shares of Danone and Carlsberg subsidiaries

Dutch brewer&nbsp;Heineken, Danish beer-maker&nbsp;Carlsberg, and&nbsp;Universal&nbsp;Music&nbsp;Group are some of the latest Western firms to halt operations in&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

On Thursday, Japanese gaming giants PlayStation and Nintendo announced they would suspend shipments to&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;too, joining the hundreds of multinationals who have taken action.&nbsp;

Heineken, the world's second-biggest beer company, said Wednesday it was stopping the production, advertising and sale of its namesake brand in&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;"in response to the continued escalation of the war".

Heineken&nbsp;had already suspended new investments and exports to&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;last week.

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"We are shocked and saddened to watch the tragedy in Ukraine unfold,"&nbsp;Heineken&nbsp;chief executive Dolf van den Brink said in a statement.

"The Russian government's war against Ukraine is an unprovoked and completely unjustified attack," he added.

Heineken&nbsp;employs 1,800 people in&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;and says it is the third-biggest brewer in the country, where it makes the Zhigulevskoe and Oxota brands for the local market.

The brewer said it would take "immediate steps to ring-fence" its Russian business from the rest of its global operations "to stop the flow of monies, royalties and dividends out of&nbsp;Russia".

"Heineken&nbsp;will no longer accept any net financial benefit derived from our Russian operations," it said.

Heineken's other famous brands include Amstel, Tiger and Strongbow cider.

Danish brewer&nbsp;Carlsberg, the world's fourth biggest beer producer, said it too was halting production and sales in&nbsp;Russia.

It said Baltika Breweries, which it majority owns, would continue to operate as a separate business to sustain its 8,400 employees in&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;"who are not responsible for the actions of the government".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/life-imitates-art-broadcasters-clamours-to-air-ukrainian-comedian-turned-war-hero-presidents-tv-show-460771">Life imitates art: Broadcasters clamours to air Ukrainian comedian-turned-war-hero President's TV show</a>

The Danish group said that during the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, any profits generated by its business in&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;would be donated to relief organisations.

Sony Group, which owns PlayStation, said in a Thursday statement that its video game unit "joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine" as it announced it had suspended operations in&nbsp;Russia.&nbsp;

The tech and entertainment conglomerate also said it was donating $2 million to the UN refugee agency and Save the Children "to support the victims of this tragedy".

A Nintendo spokesperson told AFP it would suspend shipments to&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;"for the time being" for logistical reasons.&nbsp;

World's biggest label

About 300 companies have announced their withdrawal from&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;since it invaded neighbouring Ukraine, according to Yale University researchers.

McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Starbucks joined the crowd on Tuesday following public pressure to do so.

Also on Tuesday,&nbsp;Universal&nbsp;Music&nbsp;Group, the world's biggest label, said it was suspending all operations and closing its offices in&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;effective immediately.

"We urge an end to the violence in Ukraine as soon as possible,"&nbsp;Universal&nbsp;said in a statement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/read-olena-zelenskas-letter-to-the-world-first-lady-of-ukraine-condemns-mass-murder-by-russia-460806">Read Olena Zelenska's letter to the world: First Lady of Ukraine condemns 'mass murder' by Russia</a>

"We are adhering to international sanctions and, along with our employees and artists, have been working with groups from a range of countries... to support humanitarian relief efforts to bring urgent aid to refugees in the region," it said.

Italian luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari said it too was suspending deliveries to&nbsp;Russia.

Ferrari, which has no factories in&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;and is represented there by two independent dealerships, sells less than 100 cars every year in&nbsp;Russia, out of more than 11,000 delivered worldwide last year.&nbsp;

The Italian company on Tuesday announced a donation of one million euros ($1.1 million) "to support the Ukrainians in need".

Elsewhere, French rail giant Alstom announced Wednesday that it was suspending deliveries to&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;as well as future business investments there.

But Alstom said it was keeping its stake in Russian locomotives and rail equipment provider Transmashholding.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Did America block transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-did-america-block-transfer-of-fighter-jets-to-ukraine-460710/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

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Dutch brewer Heineken, Danish beer-maker Carlsberg, and Universal Music Group are some of the latest Western firms to halt operations in Russia over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Dutch brewer Heineken, Danish beer-maker Carlsberg, and Universal Music Group are some of the latest Western firms to halt operations in Russia over Moscow's war in Ukraine. On Thursday, Japanese gaming giants PlayStation and Nintendo announced they would suspend shipments to Russia too, joining the hundreds of multinationals who have taken action. Heineken, the world's second-biggest beer company, said Wednesday it was stopping the production, advertising and sale of its namesake brand in Russia "in response to the continued escalation of the war". Heineken had already suspended new investments and exports to Russia last week. Also read | In a heart-warming gesture, Polish citizens leave essentials at border for Ukrainian refugees "We are shocked and saddened to watch the tragedy in Ukraine unfold," Heineken chief executive Dolf van den Brink said in a statement. "The Russian government's war against Ukraine is an unprovoked and completely unjustified attack," he added. Heineken employs 1,800 people in Russia and says it is the third-biggest brewer in the country, where it makes the Zhigulevskoe and Oxota brands for the local market. The brewer said it would take "immediate steps to ring-fence" its Russian business from the rest of its global operations "to stop the flow of monies, royalties and dividends out of Russia". "Heineken will no longer accept any net financial benefit derived from our Russian operations," it said. Heineken's other famous brands include Amstel, Tiger and Strongbow cider. Danish brewer Carlsberg, the world's fourth biggest beer producer, said it too was halting production and sales in Russia. It said Baltika Breweries, which it majority owns, would continue to operate as a separate business to sustain its 8,400 employees in Russia "who are not responsible for the actions of the government". Also read | Life imitates art: Broadcasters clamours to air Ukrainian comedian-turned-war-hero President's TV show The Danish group said that during the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, any profits generated by its business in Russia would be donated to relief organisations. Sony Group, which owns PlayStation, said in a Thursday statement that its video game unit "joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine" as it announced it had suspended operations in Russia. The tech and entertainment conglomerate also said it was donating $2 million to the UN refugee agency and Save the Children "to support the victims of this tragedy". A Nintendo spokesperson told AFP it would suspend shipments to Russia "for the time being" for logistical reasons. World's biggest label About 300 companies have announced their withdrawal from Russia since it invaded neighbouring Ukraine, according to Yale University researchers. McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Starbucks joined the crowd on Tuesday following public pressure to do so. Also on Tuesday, Universal Music Group, the world's biggest label, said it was suspending all operations and closing its offices in Russia effective immediately. "We urge an end to the violence in Ukraine as soon as possible," Universal said in a statement. Also read | Read Olena Zelenska's letter to the world: First Lady of Ukraine condemns 'mass murder' by Russia "We are adhering to international sanctions and, along with our employees and artists, have been working with groups from a range of countries... to support humanitarian relief efforts to bring urgent aid to refugees in the region," it said. Italian luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari said it too was suspending deliveries to Russia. Ferrari, which has no factories in Russia and is represented there by two independent dealerships, sells less than 100 cars every year in Russia, out of more than 11,000 delivered worldwide last year. The Italian company on Tuesday announced a donation of one million euros ($1.1 million) "to support the Ukrainians in need". Elsewhere, French rail giant Alstom announced Wednesday that it was suspending deliveries to Russia as well as future business investments there. But Alstom said it was keeping its stake in Russian locomotives and rail equipment provider Transmashholding. Watch | Gravitas: Did America block transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine?

PlayStation, Nintendo, Heineken, Carlsberg, Universal Music join Russia exodus

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