Microsoft has announced a suspension of its cloud services for Russian users due to European sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Softline, a major distributor of Microsoft products, revealed that Russian users will lose access to these services on March 20. Although there were talks of postponing the suspension, Microsoft has not officially confirmed any changes to the timeline.
The restrictions were prompted by European Union sanctions prohibiting Microsoft from supplying certain software, including cloud-based solutions, to Russian entities. Softline published a list of banned products, including popular tools like Power BI and Azure services. To mitigate data loss risks, Softline advises Russian companies to back up data and explore domestic alternatives like Yandex 360 and SaaS VK.
Many foreign tech firms have been gradually withdrawing from the Russian market since the start of the war in Ukraine. Microsoft, for instance, stopped renewing licenses and processing payments for Russian companies last August. Amazon also ceased retail shipments and Prime Video access in Russia and Belarus, aligning with its policy of not doing business with the Russian government. However, local users have been slow to transition to domestic alternatives, posing challenges in adapting to new interfaces and file formats.
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