LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil XOM.N is considering a full withdrawal from Russia by June 24, two sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Thursday, following the US group’s earlier decision to pull out of its oil and gas operations in the country.
Exxon Mobil fired US citizen employees from Russia last month after Moscow launched what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine. He had not provided a timetable for the withdrawal.
The initial departures included personnel from its major oil and gas production operations on Sakhalin Island in Russia’s Far East, including the Sakhalin 1 project.
It now plans to close its other Russian businesses, including sales of popular Mobil lubricants, by June 24, two sources familiar with the talks told Reuters.
Exxon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last year, Exxon employed more than 1,000 people across Russia, with offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Yuzhno-Sakhalinst, according to its website.
Its deliberations come after dozens of other Western companies – from Apple AAPL.O and Boeing TO PROHIBIT to PB BP.LShell RDSa.L and Equine EQNR.OL – who have interrupted their activities or announced their intention to abandon their operations in Russia.
(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov, Sabrina Valle and Reuters bureaus under the direction of Mark Potter)
((dmitri.zhdannikov@thomsonreuters.com))
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