Home › Security › Russia's temporary takeovers and a missile inquiry
Russia's temporary takeovers and a missile inquiry
Summary
A look back at two Russia-related security and economic developments reported around 17 July 2023.
What did Moscow do as companies scaled back in Russia and a North Korean missile drew its attention? On 17 July 2023, two reports from the preceding days framed the picture.
On 16 July 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised a temporary state takeover of the shares of French agribusiness Danone and of Baltika, the brewer owned by Carlsberg. The move was part of a wider response to private companies, these two among them, that had reduced their business operations in Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
The decision came against a backdrop in which many private firms had ceased operations in Russia or supported Ukrainian government bodies and organisations through donations, in response to Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and 2022. Others applied various sanctions.
A day earlier, on 15 July 2023, Russia announced that it would investigate whether the North Korean Hwasong-18 missile had landed in the country's exclusive economic zone. The announcement placed the missile in the context of relations between Russia and North Korea.
Taken together, the two reports showed Russian authorities acting on separate fronts in the days before 17 July 2023: asserting state control over assets of foreign-owned businesses, and examining the consequences of a North Korean missile launch for Russian waters.
