Heineken has announced its departure from Russia following the sale of its company in the nation for a symbolic €1 ($1). The Dutch beer maker stated in a statement Friday that it had received the needed approvals to sell its operations to Arnest Group, a Russian manufacturer, finishing a withdrawal procedure it initiated in March 2022.

Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink stated that “recent developments demonstrate the considerable challenges faced by big manufacturing businesses in exiting Russia.” He added, “While it took significantly longer than we had hoped, this transaction secures the livelihoods of our personnel and makes it possible for us to exit the nation in a accountable manner.” The brewer expects to incur a total loss of €300 million ($323 million) from the deal.

When Moscow launched its complete-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a slew of multinational businesses left Russia, or announced plans to do so. But more than the previous 18 months, the Kremlin has produced it increasingly challenging for Western firms to sell their Russian assets. It now also obliges them to spend a hefty charge to the Russian government on such sales.

In March, Heineken stated it had decided to “do every thing possible” to stay away from its Russian company getting nationalized, although leaving the nation “as immediately as probable.” The corporation stated, “First, we do not believe the Russian state or the people today closest to it would have the most effective interests of our people today at heart. Second, we have been uncomfortable that the Russian state must advantage from forced appropriation of important company assets.”

Arnest Group, which manufactures cosmetics, household goods, and metal packaging for customer goods, has supplied all 1,800 of Heineken’s personnel in Russia with employment guarantees for the subsequent 3 years as portion of the deal.