Rusich

Rusich was a regional pale lager produced at the Volga Brewery in Nizhny Novgorod, one of three brands brewed at the facility alongside Okskoye and Volga. The brewery commanded a remarkable 40% market share in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Heineken acquired the Volga Brewery in 2004 as part of its takeover of the Central European Brewing Company (CEBCO), a strategic move to expand its regional Russian portfolio beyond the national brands Heineken, Bochkarev and Ohota. Rusich served the local Nizhny Novgorod market as an affordable regional lager. The beer's story came to an abrupt end in March 2022, when Heineken announced its complete withdrawal from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, ultimately selling its entire Russian operation for a symbolic one euro — one of the most dramatic exits in the company's 160-year history.