Microsoft scales back operations in Russia

STORY: Microsoft is scaling back its operations in Russia.

The tech giant said Wednesday (June 8) that it would fulfil all existing obligations to customers in the country.

A suspension of new sales announced in March remains in effect.

The firm blamed the move on a changed economic outlook and the impact on its business there.

Bloomberg News, which first reported the news, said more than 400 employees would be affected.

Microsoft joins a string of big names in scaling back or pulling out of Russia altogether.

Fellow U.S. giants Apple and Dell have already severed ties with the country.

The latest news came amid reports that the EU is considering a ban on providing cloud services to Russia.

That’s according to a Brussels official.

It’s unclear how the ban would be enforced, as the top cloud providers are U.S. firms including Microsoft, Apple and Google.