HELSINKI—Finland’s Nokian Tyres PLC said on Tuesday it would continue production in Russia to retain control of its local factory, at a time when many companies are halting operations in protest at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “By continuing to operate the passenger car tyre factory in Russia we want to make sure that the factory is operated and controlled by Nokian Tyres also in the future,” it said. The company also said this would also help ensure its products were not used for military purposes. Before the Ukraine war, Nokian produced about 80 percent of the 20 million tires it makes a year in Russia. It makes passenger car tires in Russia, while tires for heavier vehicles are made in Finland or elsewhere. Shares in Nokian fell as much as 13 percent on Monday, after Helsingin Sanomat daily and other Finnish media reported that the company had seemed to tell …