3M suspends 'all business operations' in Russia

Maplewood-based 3M said Wednesday it is joining the growing ranks of multinational companies pulling out of Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

"After reassessing our business in Russia, we have decided to suspend all business operations there," 3M said. "Our focus continues to be on the safety of our colleagues and their families."

The company has a corporate office in Moscow and two production plants in the country. It also has an office in Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

The announcement comes as companies across a variety of industries have paused some or all of their Russian operations in recent days, including McDonald's, Exxon-Mobil, General Electric and Netflix.

3M rival Honeywell said Tuesday it had "suspended substantially all of our sales, distribution and service activities in Russia and Belarus," which has aided Russia's invasion. "Our collective thoughts are with the millions of refugees and we hope to see a peaceful resolution quickly."

Polaris, the Medina-based vehicle maker, is among the Minnesota companies that have halted sales or exports to Russia in response to the invasion.

U.S. sanctions on Russia's economy have placed "restrictions on sensitive U.S. technologies produced in foreign countries using U.S.-origin software, technology or equipment," according to the White House.

It's unclear if or how those sanctions would affect a technology giant like 3M, which holds thousands of U.S. patents, if it chose to keep its Russian operations open.

3M reports its Europe, Middle East and Africa sales together. They comprised 18.8% of the company's global sales in 2021.