What just happened? Vladimir Putin doesn't believe Western companies that left Russia after it invaded Ukraine should still be operating in the country. The president said that the likes of Microsoft and Zoom should be "throttled" and "strangled" in Russia, which should produce its own domestic alternatives to replace them.
Microsoft was one of many companies to suspend sales in Russia and start removing its presence from the country following the start of Putin's "special operation" in Ukraine at the start of 2022.
But more than three years later, a number of Russian companies continue to use Microsoft products alongside others from Western firms like Zoom.
Russian business leaders pointed out the situation to Putin during a meeting on Monday. "We've welcomed them, offered favorable conditions, but they've chosen to throttle us," Putin stated. "We must not tolerate platforms that undermine our sovereignty," he added. "We need to throttle them. I completely agree, and I say this without hesitation."
"We need to strangle them. I completely agree. I say this without any embarrassment, because they are trying to strangle us. We need to reciprocate."
Putin also took aim at McDonalds, which said it left Russia because it was impossible to ignore the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
"They put everyone in a difficult position, ran away, and now, if they want to come back, should we pave the way for them?" Putin said. "Of course not."
The Russian president repeated his previous stance on the importance of Russia developing its own domestic software solutions.
Russia already has MyOffice, a Microsoft-like software suite comprising a text editor, spreadsheet program, presentation creator, email, calendar, and more. It is majority owned by Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab, which is banned from selling products in the US.
Russia has also been developing game consoles with their own operating systems and cloud-based game delivery systems. With Russia heavily sanctioned and looking to promote its own products, one of these consoles is powered by the Elbrus processor. Unsurprisingly, Russian officials admitted the consoles could not compete with the PS5 or Xbox Series.
In December last year, Russia took its push for separation from the West to extremes when it tested cutting itself off from the entire internet – even most VPNs could not bypass the restrictions.
Other Western products that are still found across Russia are Intel and AMD chips. Imports of the processors are increasing, despite the bans, mostly due to the chips entering via other countries and often relabeled or bundled within broader product categories.
Center image: Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose
