Microsoft will suspend all “new sales” of its products and services in Russia, the company has confirmed. The move comes after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused countries like the United States and members of the European Union to impose heavy economic sanctions on Russia.
In a blog post, Microsoft president Brad Smith said that, like the rest of the world, Microsoft is horrified by news coming out of Ukraine and the “unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful invasion by Russia.” As such it is working closely with the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and members of the European Union “in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions.”
“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 writes.
While new sales have ceased, Microsoft doesn’t mention the status of its many ongoing services in the country. As a result, it’s possible that services such as Xbox Live, Windows Office, and Azure will continue to operate like normal in Russia for existing users for the time being.
Smith goes on to write about how Microsoft is aiding Ukraine on the cybersecurity front, helping to defend the country’s government and infrastructure to survive Russian cyberattacks.
Microsoft is not the only technology company stopping sales in Russia. Apple announced it is ceasing sales of its physical products in Russia as well as imposing limitations on Apple Pay and removing some Russian news apps from the App Store outside Russia. The Poland-based parent company of Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, CD Projekt, announced it would cease all game sales in Russia and Belarus. EA will be doing the same, ceasing all sales of its games, as well as virtual currencies and DLC, in Russia and Belarus. EA also removed Russian teams from FIFA 22 and NHL 22.
Numerous other video game-related companies have expressed their support for Ukraine and offered financial help to institutions like the Ukrainian Red Cross, UNICEF, and others. The Ukrainian government has called on major game companies, including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Epic Games, and Activision Blizzard, to temporarily ban Russian and Belarusian accounts in their respective games and services as well as cancel all gaming-related events to be held in Russia.
