"We have distribution in Russia that is consistent [with] what we said since day one, that we stay there producing enough cash to pay wages and salaries and social securities, he added. Pirelli has been involved in a retail tire depot operation since 2013 with Russia's Rosneft Oil Co. that takes advantage of Rosneft's extensive filling-station network throughout Russia. Asked about Nokian's strong distribution network in Russia, the Pirelli boss said: "That is a totally different story" as the Finnish tire maker had 80% of its production in Russia. "Their decision is absolutely a total restructuring of the business model… to replace what they used to export from Russia from other sources," he said. Since May, Pirelli has directed Russian production solely at the domestic market in compliance with EU bans on the import of Russian finished products and export of certain raw materials to Russia.