Microsoft to suspend access to its cloud services in Russia

Microsoft will suspend access to its cloud services for companies in Russia starting March 20. Elena Volotovskaya, VP for investments at Russian IT company Softline, recently confirmed the news to RBC Russia.

Microsoft to suspend access to its cloud products for companies based in Russia

As per a recent RBC Russia report, Softline has warned all its customers to expect restrictions on other services offered by Microsoft. Microsoft said it would suspend cloud services in Russia due to the 12th package of EU sanctions, EU 833/2014. 

The Russian IT firm has also created a dedicated Telegram channel for all its clients to address and mitigate the impact on businesses. As per the company, the Telegram channel will be helpful for clients as it will provide updates, guidance, and workarounds relating to this matter.

Softline also mentioned that Amazon and Google are also closing access to their cloud products and services. Softline has also urged all its users who used Microsoft, Amazon, and Google cloud services to back up data immediately.

Talking about this matter, the general director of the Basalt SPO company (developer of Viola OS) said:

Those companies that had purchased subscriptions to Microsoft or other foreign service providers for data storage had been short-sighted. There was always a risk of being cut off from access, and now that has come true. This is a serious problem for those organizations that have avoided switching to domestic software and service providers.

Let’s not forget that Microsoft announced that it was stopping the sale of its products and services in Russia. The decision came in March 2022, right after Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine. It is worth noting that the tech giant has also stopped renewing Microsoft 365 Office suite subscriptions since August 2023.