Microsoft will close access to its cloud products for customers from Russia from 20 March 2024. Companies that use these products have received a letter from Microsoft.
Source. RBC writes about this with reference to a client who received such a letter.
The reason for the new restrictions was the EU sanctions, which made it impossible to supply "certain management or design software (including cloud solutions) to organisations registered in Russia".
As RBC's experts explained, this is due to the 12th package of EU sanctions against Russia, adopted in December last year. It contains restrictions on the supply of business intelligence software. According to market participants, many assumed that such a ban was possible, but continued to use Microsoft products anyway.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Microsoft President Brad Smith said that the corporation would reduce its business in Russia until "nothing is left".
At the same time, in the spring of 2023, Russian representative offices of international companies and legal entities that were not subject to sanctions began to receive offers from Microsoft to extend their software licences.
Background. As reported, the main depository of the Russian Federation was disconnected from information on global financial markets.