Microsoft stops selling products in Russia

Microsoft has stopped selling its products and services in Russia, following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Major tech companies including Apple and Dell have made similar decisions.

Microsoft said it had paused other aspects of its business in the country to comply with government sanctions.

It added that it was providing cyber-security support to Ukraine to defend against cyber-attacks initiated by Russia.

"Since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organisations," Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a statement.

Several tech companies have also taken action to restrict Russian state-controlled media, such as RT and Sputnik.

Earlier this week, Microsoft removed RT's mobile apps from the Windows app store.

Facebook, Google and YouTube have taken measures to restrict Russian state media from making money from ads on their platforms.

Cisco, Oracle, Netflix and Spotify have also suspended operations in the country.

Airbnb has stopped all bookings in Russia and Belarus, and has offered free housing to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities said: "We expect more tech stalwarts to head down the same path and pull the plug on Russia by this weekend, given the horrific atrocities seen coming out of Ukraine."

By contrast, Chinese companies, including Huawei, Xiaomi and Alibaba, have so far declined to comment on whether they would cut their business ties in Russia, according to business news broadcaster CNBC.