Microsoft, Amazon and Google will ban Russian companies from accessing their cloud services

Microsoft, Amazon and Google will restrict access to their cloud services for Russian companies starting March 20. This is stated by Softline, one of the largest distributors of Microsoft in the Russian Federation.

This means that Russian companies will not be able to use these products or access the data contained in them.

Microsoft explained this decision by EU sanctions against Russia. The 12th package, adopted on December 19, 2023, contains restrictions on the supply of software for business intelligence (BI), customer relationship management (CRM), and other products.

Will this affect regular users?

The representatives at Softline replied that there is no unequivocal answer yet because it is not clear how the blocking will take place technically.

If the Russians do not store all Google data locally, they may lose access to it starting March 20, 2024. This means they won’t be able to view, edit, or download files stored on Google Drive; use other Google products that are integrated with Google Drive, such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.

Earlier this month, it became known that the EU lifted sanctions on Yandex co-founder Arkady Volozh. The decision is yet to be explained.