Taimuraz Bolloev, the new head of the Baltika brewery, which Putin temporarily placed under the management of Rosimushchestvo (Russian Federal Agency for State Property Management), owns the largest manufacturer of uniforms for Russian soldiers.
Source: Russian edition of Forbes
Details: In 2005, Bolloev founded BTC Group, a manufacturer of workwear. In 2012, the company became the sole supplier of uniforms for the Russian army.
The Financial Times has reported that Bolloev is also close to Putin’s billionaire friend Yury Kovalchuk, who has expressed interest in Baltika.
At the same time, Rosimushchestvo appointed Ibrahim Zakriev, cousin of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and the republic’s minister of agriculture, CEO of Danone Russia, which similarly removed Putin from control of the French group Danone.
Sources from the Russian edition of Forbes said these appointments were completely unexpected.
Quote“Danone has been selling its assets in Russia for a long time, although it expressed such an intention last fall, and at times it even seemed that it would not leave Russia. After what happened, one thing is clear to everyone: such assets were transferred for a reason. But for what benefit, we are unlikely to find out,” said one of the outlet’s sources.
Another source says the company is shocked.
“Everyone is waiting for news from both the group and the new management. So far it’s business as usual, the new position was even posted on social media yesterday as planned,” says another source familiar with the situation in the company.
The Danone group in Russia includes about 20 factories in different regions. Baltika has eight breweries in Russia, producing more than 50 brands of beer.
Background:
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has transferred shares in the subsidiary of Baltika and Danone owned by foreigners to the management of the Federal Agency for the Administration of State Property. Earlier, the companies announced the sale of their assets in the Russian Federation.
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