ANKARA
Renault, the French carmaker, has decided to halt operations at its Moscow manufacturing plant due to mounting public pressure to leave the country.
“With regard to its stake in AVTOVAZ, Renault Group is evaluating the available options while acting responsibly towards its 45,000 employees in Russia,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
During a speech to the National Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on French companies such as Renault, Auchan supermarket group, and DIY retailer Leroy Merlin to withdraw from Russia, accusing them of sponsoring the “Russian war machine.”
Renault had recently resumed production at the plant, which had been halted in late February due to logistical bottlenecks caused by the war.
According to UN estimates, the civilian death toll in the Russia-Ukraine war has reached at least 977, with 1,594 others injured in the first month.