The Foreign Ministry accused Microsoft of supporting Kyiv and acting to the detriment of Russia

American corporation Microsoft stained itself with concrete steps to the detriment of Russia, as well as providing support to Ukraine, declared Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with TASS.

“Microsoft is one of those companies that have stained themselves not only with anti-Russian rhetoric, but also with concrete steps to the detriment of our state. From the very beginning of the special military operation, this corporation has been providing various support to the Kyiv regime,” he said.

The diplomat also said that Microsoft regularly accuses Russia of organizing cyberattacks on Ukrainian resources, without providing any evidence, while the corporation hushed up “facts of systemic cybersabotage” against Russia’s critical infrastructure. This, according to Galuzin, indicates that Microsoft is working in line with the US political guidelines.

Against the backdrop of the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine Microsoft decided to suspend sales of new products and provision of services in the Russian Federation. On June 19, 2022, the company limited the ability for Russian users to install Windows 10 and Windows 11. Since the end of September, Russians have also been unable to update the OS. In April of this year, Microsoft completely stopped warranty service for Xbox consoles in Russia.

At the same time, in April, the US Treasury informed about 1339 violations Microsoft the regime of sanctions against Cuba, Iran, Syria, as well as restrictions related to the situation between Russia and Ukraine. The violations relate to the export of services and software from the United States to countries that are subject to sanctions. The corporation agreed to pay $2.98 million due to sanctions violations.