Microsoft is Suspending All New Products and Services Sales in Russia
- Laurent Giret
- Mar 04, 2022
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Microsoft is joining the chorus of companies that have stopped offering their products in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Microsoft President Brad Smith announced the news a couple of minutes ago and spoke on behalf of the company to “condemn this unjustified, unprovoked, and unlawful invasion by Russia.”
“We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia. In addition, we are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions,” Smith announced today.
The Microsoft President didn’t elaborate on the products and services the company would stop selling in Russia. However, Smith mentioning “new sales” suggest that existing Russian customers should be able to continue using the Microsoft services they already paid for.
Microsoft had already taken several measures to protect Ukrainian organizations from Russian cyberattacks, and the company has also removed RT and Sputnik content from its news platforms and Bing search results. Moreover, the company will also increase its support for humanitarian aid in Ukraine and continue to protect Microsoft employees working in the country.
“We believe we are most effective in aiding Ukraine when we take concrete steps in coordination with the decisions being made by these governments and we will take additional steps as this situation continues to evolve”, Smith said today.