– You just have to strive them. I completely agree with this – said the Russian leader.
– I say it unscrupulous because they are trying to choke us. We must answer in a mirror way. And that's it – added Putin.
The inflammatory point was the appeal of Stanislaw Jodkowski, the head of a Russian company providing video conferencing services. He complained that platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft are still present on the Russian market and They deprive clients from local companies. As he emphasized, according to analysts, competition from international giants costs Russian business billions of rubles a year.
– Maybe it would be worth limiting the activities of such companies that allegedly left Russia – suggested the entrepreneur.
In response, Putin accused Russian passivity companies and users and reluctance to change their habits.
“Nobody pulled them out, nobody disturbed them,” he said.
– We have created the best conditions for them to operate on our market. And now they are trying to choke us. We must act adequately – he emphasized.
Microsoft, who officially closed its Russian offices in 2022, announced the suspension of sales and limiting their activities in response to international sanctions. Despite this, services such as Microsoft Teams can be still available in Russia.
Zoom also withdrew from the Russian market, first prohibiting the sale of services to government entities, and then suspending the sale of licenses to individual clients. However, in October 2023, the company was fined in the amount of 115 million rubles (about PLN 3 million) for conducting business without a local office.
Putin's statements are part of the Kremlin wider strategy. The Russian authorities have been announcing for months that Companies that withdrew from the country after the start of the war cannot count on an easy return.
– Nobody is waiting for them with open arms. You will have to pay for earlier decisions – said the Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanow in February.
The data developed by the Kiev School of Economics shows that from the beginning of the invasion of Russia has been left by over 470 foreign companies. However, some of them, including global technology players, are still present on the market, although some indirectly.
The article is a translation with American Business Insider edition.
