What just happened? Intel has become the latest company to suspend operations in Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine. The move comes after the firm paused deliveries of its chips to Russia and Belarus as part of the ongoing trade sanctions implemented by the US government.

It was back in February when Intel suspended shipments of industrial processors to Russia and its ally Belarus in compliance with international sanctions introduced following the invasion of Ukraine. Now the company has gone a step further and suspended all operations in Russia.

Intel said in a press release that it had implemented business continuity measures to minimize disruption to its global operations. The chipmaker added that it condemns Russia's war against Ukraine and calls for a swift return to peace.

"Our thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by this war, particularly the people of Ukraine and the surrounding countries and all those around the world with family, friends and loved ones in the region," Intel wrote. "We are working to support all of our employees through this difficult situation, including our 1,200 employees in Russia."

IBM has also suspended shipments to Russia. Its servers are market leaders in the country, which despite efforts to promote home-grown hardware, still relies on foreign companies for much of its technology. In addition to the economic effects, cutting off ties will likely impact Russia's ability to conduct cyberwarfare against Ukraine and other countries---President Biden recently warned US firms to bolster their cyber defenses in preparation for inevitable Russian attacks.

Intel is the latest tech firm to pause business in Russia. AMD suspended its sales in February, while Microsoft, Sony, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Netflix, Mastercard, Visa, Paypal, EA, Amazon, CD Projekt Red, Ubisoft, Apple, Nintendo, and Take-Two are just some of the names that have also taken some form of action.

World of Tanks developer Wargaming yesterday announced that it is pulling out of Russia and Belarus following a strategic review of business operations worldwide. Russian Victor Kislyi founded Wargaming in the Belarus capital of Minsk but moved its headquarters to Cyprus in 2011.