Guardian Glass will close its two glass plants in Russia, affecting 600 employees, according to a statement from Dave Robertson, president and chief operating officer of Koch Industries, the parent company of Guardian.
“Sanctions announced in early April, combined with the Russian government’s response and other actions, have made conditions untenable for Guardian to continue operations in Russia,” he said. “As a result, Guardian asked its Russian employees to shut down the two glass plants. When made aware of this plan, Russian authorities repeated earlier warnings that local Guardian employees would violate Russian law and be prosecuted and imprisoned if they followed through with any shutdown activities, further reinforcing our concerns for employees’ safety.
Therefore, Guardian is working with its local management team to find an exit strategy that maintains our commitment to employees’ safety and does not result in the Russian government taking over the plants and financially benefiting from them. All other Koch companies, none with operating assets in Russia, have ended or are ending business activities there.”
