The automotive supplier Continental said Wednesday that it would “temporarily” restart its production in Russia to avoid legal proceedings with which Moscow threatened local employees of the German group.
Continental had suspended manufacturing at its plant in Kaluga, some 170 km from Moscow, in early March due to the invasion of Ukraine.
But “our employees risk heavy criminal penalties if we fail to meet local demand,” a spokesperson told AFP.
“To protect our employees in Russia from any legal proceedings, we are therefore temporarily resuming, if necessary, the production of car tires, intended for the local market, in our plant in Kaluga”, he continues.
The group, which says “support and respect all the sanctions in force”, specifies that it has “no intention of making a profit”.
In Germany, companies that have kept their activities in Russia are increasingly rare. The major automotive groups Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes have notably put an end to their local production and exports to this country.
On Tuesday, detergent and glue maker Henkel announced its withdrawal from Russia following less than two weeks ago it defended keeping operations in the name of “responsibility” to employees.
The stores of the wholesaler Metro remain open there, the agrochemical giant Bayer continues to supply the country with seeds and pharmaceutical products.
ats, awp, afp
