BASF to wind down activities in Russia, Belarus

Ludwigshafen, Germany – German chemicals major BASF has announced plans to wind down the company’s remaining business activities in Russia and Belarus in reaction to Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

The company announced on 3 March that it was halting its operations in the two countries due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement 27 April, the chemicals giant said it was ceasing all operations but food production support in the two countries following the war and the ensuing EU sanctions.

The German group is aiming to end its activities by the beginning of July, but said it would continue to support its 684 employees until the end of the year.

The decision to exclude the food support operations, said BASF, is due to the risk of a global food crisis as a result of the war.

BASF operates 12 plants in Russia in segments including chemicals, materials, industrial solutions as well as nutrition and care.

In 2021, Russia and Belarus accounted for around 1% of the group’s total sales.