Microsoft Halts Sales in Russia

Microsoft joined the movement of other companies opposing Russia’s hostility by suspending new sales in the said country. The announcement was made last March 4 by Brad Smith, Microsoft President & Vice Chair, in a blog statement. 

“Since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations. We have also acted against cyberattacks targeting several additional civilian sites. We have publicly raised our concerns that these attacks against civilians violate the Geneva Convention.”

In his writing, Smith expressed the company’s condemnation of Russia’s “unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful invasion” of Ukraine. According to him, Microsoft is also coordinating and complying with the governmental sanctions decisions made by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.

“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,” added Smith.

In relation to this, Microsoft continues its service to provide assistance to cybersecurity officials of Ukraine in battling Russian attacks, including a cyberattack against a major Ukrainian broadcaster, as mentioned by Smith.

In addition, Microsoft Philanthropies and UN Affairs teams work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and multiple UN agencies. Apart from technology and support against ongoing cyberattacks, the teams offer financial aid for major NGOs. Smith also assured that the company relentlessly provides support in various forms to its employees in Ukraine.