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Telecommunications giant Nokia said on Tuesday that it will exit the Russian market due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The Finland-based company said it took early steps to withdraw after the war began, but had to adjust its exit as it is a leading company that provides telecommunications equipment to Russian companies and citizens.

“For Nokia, it was clear from the first days of the occupation of Ukraine that it would not be possible to maintain our presence in Russia. “We have suspended deliveries in the past weeks, stopped new business and are moving our limited R&D activities out of Russia,” he said. “We can now declare that we will exit the Russian market. In this process, our priority continues to be the safety and health of our employees.”

The company said it would do everything it could to bolster the critical flow of information to Russians, fueled by state propaganda and left in the dark about the nature of President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine.

“For humanitarian reasons, Western governments have expressed concern about the risk of failure of critical telecommunications network infrastructure in Russia,” the company said. They also stressed the importance of access to the Internet, which provides outside perspectives to the Russian people, and the constant flow of information.”

Nokia told investors that the decision would not have a significant financial impact on the company, as Russia accounted for less than 2% of sales in 2021.

The decision comes after a similar announcement by Swedish telecom giant Ericsson on Monday, meaning Russia will lose key suppliers.

Companies are leaving as Russia, retreating from Kiev, prepares for a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.

British intelligence officials said Tuesday that the war in eastern Ukraine will “intensify in the next two to three weeks” and that Russia will withdraw troops from Belarus.