Zelenskyy awards Microsoft Peace Prize for its works aiding Ukraine amid war

We appreciate this recognition. You can count on us for continued support. https://t.co/hKyQZTSFbA

— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) July 4, 2022

We’ve witnessed different companies expressing their support for Ukraine during its tough battle against Russia. One of the most notable businesses that go beyond that is Microsoft. As such, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bestowed it a Peace Prize last July 4 for its efforts in aiding the country from relentless cybercriminal attacks and providing humanitarian efforts.

Microsoft has been very vocal about the actions it is providing to Ukraine. From providing cyberattack protection to safeguarding its employees and preventing disinformation on its platform, the tech corporation plays a vital role that allows Ukraine to maintain a steady position in the battleground. Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov shows appreciation for these efforts through a tweet announcing the award.

“Big tech support Ukraine,” the tweet reads. “Microsoft delegation has been awarded today with “Peace Prize” from the President of Ukraine [Zelenskyy]. We are grateful to have you on the light side of digital. Microsoft stands for truth and for peace.”

Microsoft’s president and vice-chair, Brad Smith, responded to the message through a quote tweet saying, “We appreciate this recognition. You can count on us for continued support.”

On its blog pages, the company regularly posts updates related to the Ukraine-Russia war. Aside from the announcement of the suspension of all new sales of its products and services in Russia in March, Microsoft warned the public about the aggressive cyberattacks Russia is executing not only on Ukraine but on its allies, as well.

“At Microsoft we’ve detected Russian network intrusion efforts on 128 organizations in 42 countries outside Ukraine,” Smith writes in a post. “While the United States has been Russia’s number one target, this activity has also prioritized Poland, where much of the logistical delivery of military and humanitarian assistance is being coordinated. Russian activities have also targeted Baltic countries, and during the past two months there has been an increase in similar activity targeting computer networks in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Turkey. We have also seen an increase in similar activity targeting the foreign ministries of other NATO countries.”

According to the report, the attacks cover a variety of individuals and groups, including humanitarian organizations, think tanks, IT companies, and other organizations related to war. Smith adds that since the war started, Russian hacking attempts have successfully evaded defenses “29% of the time.” One-quarter of these successful network intrusions resulted in data stealing.

Smith expressed Microsoft’s commitment to continue fighting these attacks. “As discussed in this report, the war in Ukraine provides not only lessons but a call to action for effective measures that will be vital to the protection of democracy’s future,” Smith notes. “As a company, we are committed to supporting these efforts, including through ongoing and new investments in technology, data, and partnerships that will support governments, companies, NGOs, and universities.”