Microsoft pulls the plug on ‘new’ sales of products and services in Russia

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In a post published Friday morning, Microsoft president Brad Smith confirmed that the company would be suspending new sales in Russia.

CD Projekt Red did not specify what financial impact the move will have on its businesses, as it did yesterday, when it announced a ban on services to Russia and Belarus. The company had nothing more to share at this time, according to a spokesman.

Microsoft is the latest tech company to stop some of its services to Russia. Many politicians worldwide have called for sanctions on Russia's economy and ability to connect to the world since the fighting started.

Existing service contracts are not mentioned in Microsoft's announcement. The company didn't go into the reasons behind its decision, but Microsoft's focus on cloud services and support services means that cutting off existing contracts would be particularly devastating for both organizations and individuals.

Smith said that they are working closely with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom and that they are stopping many aspects of their business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions.

Smith says that since the war began, they have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations. Several additional civilian sites have been targeted by cyberattacks. We have raised our concerns about the attacks against civilians.

On March 1st, Apple stopped selling products in Russia, and as of this morning, Google stopped selling ads in Russia. The growing list of blocks and bans is putting a digital wall between Russia and companies based in the US and Europe.