Automotive supplier Bosch will cease its operations in Russia due to concerns that its parts have been used for “non-civilian” purposes in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement issued late last week, Bosch said it had halted deliveries of truck components to customers throughout Russia while investigating how these parts are being deployed.
Auto News Europe reports that the supplier has started investigating how its parts are being used in the war after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the country had found Bosch parts being used in Russian military vehicles.
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Bosch said that none of its parts were supplied directly to the manufacturer of the Russian military vehicles in question but in a statement said “we take the Ukrainian foreign minister’s allegations very seriously and immediately initiated an intensive investigation.”
The company currently employs roughly 3,500 people in Russia at three separate locations and expects to suspend all production at its local factories. Bosch sold $1.32 billion worth of goods in Russia throughout 2021.
This decision also comes shortly after Germany’s economy ministry launched an investigation into whether Bosch violated an export ban on goods that can be used for civilian and military purposes. Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, European Union sanctions have restricted exports of dual-use goods.
Bosch is just the latest in a long line of companies to respond to the invasion of Ukraine. Many car manufacturers have stopped production and sales of vehicles in Russia, while even domestic automaker Lada was forced to temporarily suspend production earlier this month as roughly 20 per cent of the parts it needs are sourced from outside the country.
