The Japanese automaker Mazda has announced that it is considering ending production of its cars at a joint plant in the Vladivostok region in eastern Russia.

Mazda, which sold 30,000 cars in Russia in 2021, said in March that imports of spare parts to the plant would stop and production would stop when stocks run out, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday.

Mazda operates the plant with Russian automaker Solers.

The newspaper said Mazda had not made a decision on ending car sales and maintenance in Russia, and there was no time frame for stopping production at the Vladivostok plant.

On the other hand, the Japanese company Toyota said, last Friday, that it decided to end production of cars in Russia due to the lack of supplies in the main production materials and parts.

Toyota suspended production in St Petersburg last March due to supply chain problems and stopped importing from Russia.

Many factories in Russia have suspended production and laid off workers due to a shortage of high-tech equipment due to sanctions and an exodus of Western manufacturers since Moscow sent armed forces to Ukraine on February 24.