Microsoft president Brad Smith has confirmed the company will be suspending all new sales of products and services in Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine.
He has also accused the country of violating the Geneva Convention by using cyber attacks to target Ukrainian civilians.
Sharing a blog post, Smith confirmed that Microsoft would be “stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions.”
“Like the rest of the world, we are horrified, angered and saddened by the images and news coming from the war in Ukraine and condemn this unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful invasion by Russia,” he wrote.
Smith went on to say that Microsoft has been working to protect Ukraine’s cybersecurity, “including most recently a cyberattack against a major Ukrainian broadcaster.”
Smith claims that “since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organisations.”
You are definitely aware of what is happening in Ukraine right now. Russia declare war not for Ukraine but for all civilized world. If you support human values, you should live the Russian market! pic.twitter.com/tnQr13BsSv
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 2, 2022
“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,” a series of treaties that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war.
Smith added that Microsoft is working closely with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
“We believe we are most effective in aiding Ukraine when we take concrete steps in coordination with the decisions being made by these governments and we will take additional steps as this situation continues to evolve,” promised Smith.
The post finished by saying Microsoft stands with Ukraine “in calling for the restoration of peace, respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and the protection of its people.”
Earlier this week, Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for both PlayStation and Xbox to “temporarily block all Russian and Belorussian accounts.”
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