Europe's biggest logistics firms halt deliveries into Russia

[FRANKFURT] Europe's biggest logistics firms halted shipments to Russia, further isolating the country's businesses and consumers after its military invaded Ukraine.

DHL and Kuehne + Nagel, the continent's largest freight forwarders, said they suspended inbound deliveries to the country, adding to the restrictions facing Russia after Moscow closed its airspace to European Union countries.

Major container lines have also said they will curtail operations.

"Our inbound services to Russia and Belarus have been suspended, which is why we are also not accepting shipments to those countries until further notice," DHL said in a statement on its website on Wednesday (Mar 2).

The company, a unit of Deutsche Post, has helped provide coronavirus vaccines and other materials for fighting the pandemic to Russia.

Deliveries from Europe to Russia are still possible by road, but are being conducted by a shrinking pool of smaller companies, according to a spokesman for Germany's DSLV logistics association.

Larger firms with operations in the US and concerns about their reputations are no longer willing to transport goods there, he said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week has brought global condemnation, trade restrictions and financial sanctions.

Consumers in the nation of 145 million people are also losing access to some of the world's most iconic brands after Apple, Nike and BMW announced plans to stop product sales in the country.

Shipping giants AP Moller-Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping on Monday said they're halting trade in the region, joining Hapag-Lloyd and Asia's Ocean Network Express in stopping services.

The European Union on Sunday closed its airspace to Russian jets, and UK, Canada and now the US have done the same. Moscow has retaliated with reciprocal bans. While US airlines haven't yet been barred, all three major carriers have halted Russian overflights. BLOOMBERG