Heineken sells Russia firm at loss of £256m almost 550 days after Ukraine invasion August 25, 2023 Brewing giant Heineken has completed its exit from Russia, around 18 months after the invasion of Ukraine. The Dutch firm, which also makes Amstel and Birra Moretti beers, said it has now secured the sale of the business, which includes seven breweries, to Russian company Arnest Group for 1 euro. It said it expects to [...]
‘Highly likely’ Wagner chief Prigozhin is dead, says MoD August 25, 2023 It is “highly likely” that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group who challenged the Kremlin in a failed mutiny is dead, the UK Government has said. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) cautioned that there is “not yet definitive proof” that Yevgeny Prigozhin was onboard a plane that crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, but [...]
Yevgeny Prigozhin: UK watching closely following reports of Wagner chief’s death in plane crash August 24, 2023 UK ministers are closely watching Russia following reports that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group died in a plane crash. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner chief, was reportedly on the passenger list of a private jet which went down almost 185 miles north of Moscow on Wednesday, according to Russian authorities. All 10 people on [...]
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Who is the Putin-critic Wagner boss reportedly killed in a Russian plane crash? August 23, 2023 Prigozhin, the boss of Russian mercenary group Wagner who recently led a mini-mutiny against Vladimir Putin, has died in a plane crash
UK offers Ukraine nuclear fuel boost through £192m deal with Urenco August 23, 2023 The government will provide a £192m loan guarantee through the UK's export credit agency to help power Ukraine's nuclear fleet.
Foreign Office staff told not to say ‘hostile state’ for fear of upsetting China August 21, 2023 Government officials have reportedly been told not to use the term “hostile state” by the Foreign Office in case it upsets China. The term cannot be used in documents and internal messages via email and WhatsApp between advisers, civil servants and ministers, The Times reported today. One official in another department was reportedly told by [...]
Coca-Cola HBC faces questions over Russia operations August 20, 2023 Questions are being asked about the extent of Coca Cola HBC’s operations in Russia after a report suggested the firm has not fully withdrawn from the country despite pledging to do so. The London-listed firm, which is the European bottler for the Coca-Cola Company, said in March 2022 that it was suspending all operations in [...]
Russia claims it shot down a Ukraine drone over central Moscow August 18, 2023 Russia shot down a Ukrainian drone over central Moscow early on Friday and some fragments fell on an exposition centre, officials said. The Defence Ministry said in a statement that the drone was shot down about 4am (1am GMT) and there were no injuries or fire caused by the fragments. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some [...]
British firms face ‘debanking’ for trading with Ukraine, business leaders warn August 16, 2023 UK businesses reportedly face being ‘debanked’ over trading relationships with Ukraine, business leaders have warned. Firms are increasingly “afraid to trade with Ukraine from the UK” due to the risk of having their accounts forcibly closed by overly risk-averse financial institutions, it has been claimed. According to Politico, both the British-Ukrainian Business Council (BUBC) and [...]
Carlsberg ‘shocked’ at Russian capture of business August 16, 2023 The chief executive of Carlsberg has described his “shock” over Russia’s seizure of its business after the brewer left the territory. Last month, Russia took control of the beer maker’s eight breweries and 8,400 employees in the country after it closed a sale of the business to an undisclosed buyer. “We have known from the [...]