Microsoft to halt new sales of products and services in Russia

Xbox maker Microsoft is suspending sales of its products and services in Russia.

The company said the move was a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which it described as "unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful."

Microsoft added that it will be coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom as it takes "concrete steps" to halt many aspects of its business in Russia and comply with governmental sanctions.

"Like the rest of the world, we are horrified, angered and saddened by the images and news coming from the war in Ukraine," said Microsoft in a blog post. "We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia."

The tech giant also pledged to help cybersecurity officials in Ukraine defend against Russian attacks, including a recent cyberattack against a major Ukrainian broadcaster.

"Since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations," continued Microsoft. "We have also acted against cyberattacks targeting several additional civilian sites. We have publicly raised our concerns that these attacks against civilians violate the Geneva Convention."

The news comes after Polish studios CD Projekt Red and Bloober Team halted sales and operations in Russia and Belarus. The wider games industry continues to rally in support of Ukraine, with numerous companies pledging financial aid to help those affected by the Russian invasion.

Game Developer has reached out to Microsoft for comment on how its Xbox services specifically will be affected by the move.