Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other software products from western companies should be "throttled" and "choked" from operating in Russia, according to President Vladimir Putin. Reuters shared the remarks from the Russian president that were made when discussing US companies that departed Russia or reduced operations.
"We need to throttle them," said Putin when talking about US companies in a meeting with entrepreneurs. He added, "They’re trying to choke us, we should respond in kind."
Microsoft stopped software sales in Russia in 2022. Today, the tech giant only provides limited services within Russia. Several major companies have halted operations in Russia altogether.
Some western companies have been replaced by Russian alternatives, such as Vkusno i Tochka filling the void left by McDonald's. It appears Putin wants something similar to occur within the tech sector.
Our colleagues at TechRadar highlighted that Kaspersky Lab has several products that compete with western software suites. Kaspersky Lab is the majority shareholder of МойОфис (MyOffice).
Kaspersky Lab is headquartered in Moscow, Russia but is operated by a holding company in the United Kingdom.
Kaspersky Lab announced its plans to shut down its operations in the United States in 2024 after sanctions were put in place.
Putin's comments about western software companies occurred shortly after President Trump made several statements about Putin specifically.
"I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!" said Trump on Truth Social earlier this week.
"He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever."
