Amber Talvis

History

2024: Seizure of factories

The Tambov District Court seized the Amber Talvis alcohol plant and the Kaliningrad JSC SPI-RVVK with its subsidiary RVVK LLC, owned by the famous entrepreneur Yuri Shefler. The decision to arrest was made on June 26, 2024 as part of a case initiated by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.

According to RBC, the seizure of assets is connected with the case of "suspension of activities or liquidation of a political party, its regional branch or other structural unit, another public association, religious or other non-profit organization." Details of the case before Judge Alexandra Duldina have not been released.

South China Morning Post

Amber Talvis, founded in 1899, by June 2024 is one of the largest producers of alcoholic beverages in Russia. The company specializes in the production of ethyl alcohol varieties "Lux" and "Alpha." The plant supplies products for Amber Latvijas Balzams JSC, a manufacturer of the famous Riga balm, as well as Moskovskaya and Stoli vodka.

The Kaliningrad SPI-RVVK plant, which was mothballed by June 2024, was previously engaged in bottling Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya vodka. The company has not been operating since 2012, however, according to management statements, it is ready to resume work at any time.

Yuri Shefler, whose fortune Forbes in 2024 estimated at $1.6 billion, acquired Amber Talvis in 2003. The businessman is known for his disputes with the Russian authorities over the rights to vodka brands, which have been going on since the early 2000s.

In 2002, Shefler left Russia after initiating a criminal case on the illegal use of a trademark. In 2018, the Investigative Committee stopped the criminal prosecution of the entrepreneur, and in 2017 the Moscow City Court lifted the arrest from his assets imposed ten years earlier.

The arrest of Schefler's factories comes amid recent cases of nationalization of alcohol businesses in Russia. In May 2024, the Russian assets of the Ukrainian company Global Spirits were arrested and then nationalized. In April of the same year, the state acquired the assets of the Ariant Group of Companies, including the largest wine producer Kuban-Vino^[1]

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