Microsoft Halts All New Sales and Services in Russia

Microsoft has announced that starting today, all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia are suspended.


Published: March 4, 2022 9:36 AM /

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Microsoft

Microsoft has just announced that they will be suspended all Microsoft products and services in Russia, which means that things such as the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Microsoft Office, Windows, and more will no longer be available to purchase. This is due to the company complying with "governmental sanctions decisions" with the governments of the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.

Microsoft had this to say about their approach since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War:

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.

Why has Microsoft halted sales in Russia?

This was done due to Microsoft working "in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom". Basically, they're trying to wedge another chip into Russia's armor, or help bring about it's regimes death by a thousand cuts, with the company's refusal to sell their products to them, which is not only a big deal for gamers, but for anyone wanting Windows  software.

The actions that Microsoft has taken is similar to CD Projekt Group's decision to halt sales in Russia and Belarus yesterday, as well as Bloober Team also halting sales of their games in Russia and Belarus. At this point, it seems like every day there's news of a large developer/publisher (and lots of smaller ones) making a stand against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and while it might not have a big impact, it is hopefully another cut against Russia.

For more information on the Russia-Ukraine War and how it continues to affect the gaming industry, stay tuned to TechRaptor.

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Patrick is a former Staff Writer for TechRaptor and has been gaming on every console he could get since he could hold a controller. He’s been writing for… More about Patrick