Freudenberg ceasing operations in Russia, Belarus

Weinheim, Germany – The Freudenberg Group is ceasing all trading activities in and out of Russia and Belarus as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, according to the German group’s CEO Mohsen Sohi.

“The brutal images of war in Ukraine leave us stunned. As Freudenberg, we are committed to an open, free Europe and a global peaceful coexistence,” he said in a post on LinkedIn earlier this month.

The group, he said in the post, ‘stands solidly’ with the people of Ukraine and "fully supports the sanctions imposed [on Russia].”

In addition, the German manufacturer has donated €3 million as immediate humanitarian aid to Ukrainians suffering through this war.

Freudenberg declined to comment further on the subject when contacted by ERJ but said its business in Russia is “relatively small”.

“We continuously analyse the degree of impact on our business activities,” said a company spokesman in a 15 March written statement to ERJ.

It is, he went on to say, "still too early" to assess what effects the imposed sanctions will have on Freudenberg.