Microsoft announced via a blog post today that it’s officially putting a lid on the provision of its products and services in Russia, joining an increasingly long list of companies that are sanctioning the Kremlin amid its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The sirens of war continue to sound as heavy fighting continues between the Ukrainian resistance groups and the Russian Armed Forces. In what can only be called one of the harshest economic sanction packages in history, the United States and the European Union are rapidly cutting ties with Russia and urging other countries and companies to do the same.
Now, answering the call of Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister ⏤ who’d asked Microsoft and PlayStation to stand in solidarity with the east-European country ⏤ the former is one of the latest conglomerates to halt its business ventures in Russia.
“Like the rest of the world, we are horrified, angered, and saddened by the images and news coming from the war in Ukraine and condemn this unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful invasion by Russia,” Brad Smith, vice chairman of Microsoft, wrote on the company’s official blog. “We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia.”
Smith also revealed that since the start of the war, Microsoft has been providing support by acting “against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations.” The company has also countered cyberattacks targeting numerous civilian sites and promises to continue doing so.
Since the announcement came through, Electronic Arts has followed in Microsoft’s footsteps by suspending the sale of its games and other content in Russia and Belarus. As of now, it’s still unclear if other gaming juggernauts like Nintendo and Sony will also decide to take a stand.
