Microsoft is halting sales in Russia over their ongoing invasion and war in Ukraine, the company announced this morning.
“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,” Microsoft president and vice chair Brad Smith said in the statement.
“We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia,” Smith added. “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.
“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.”
News that Microsoft is halting sales in Russia over the Ukraine invasion and war is the latest in a series of other tech companies and game developers cutting off their sales and services in protest.
Previously, The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt RED halted their sales in Russia, while ESL has suspended Russian esports teams and tournaments in the region. Polish developer Bloober Team also stopped their sales in the region.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister pleaded with tech companies like Xbox and PlayStation to pledge support and cut off sales to the Russian and Belarusian markets. Microsoft is the first of the big companies to openly condemn Russia’s actions.
“We are also continuing to mobilize our resources to help the people in Ukraine,” Smith said. “Our Microsoft Philanthropies and UN Affairs teams are working closely with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and multiple UN agencies to help refugees by providing technology and financial support for key NGOs and, where needed, we are defending these groups from ongoing cyberattacks.”
Smith closed their statement by noting Microsoft is “committed to the safety of our employees in Ukraine and we are in constant contact with them to offer support in many forms,” and that they “stand with Ukraine in calling for the restoration of peace, respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and the protection of its people.”
