Many Western companies pulled out of Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a Russian businessman claims two American tech companies’ products are still being used by some, and Vladimir Putin wants them gone.
During a meeting with business leaders at the Kremlin Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was time to get tough on Western tech companies whose products are still capturing consumers in Russia.
The tough rhetoric comes after Russian businessman Stanislav Yodkovsky, who runs a Russian videoconferencing company, claimed during the Kremlin meeting that Zoom and Microsoft are still being used in the country. Yodkovsky added that analysts have said Western companies are costing Russian companies “billions” by continuing to operate in the country. Yodkovsky urged Putin to “slightly limit the work of services that have left Russia, such as Zoom and Microsoft.”
A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to comment to Fortune. Zoom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Putin said during the meeting at the Kremlin that Russian consumers need to break their “bad habit” of using Western tech companies’ products.
“We provided the most favorable conditions for them to operate here, in our market, and they are trying to strangle us. We need to respond in kind, act as a mirror,” Putin added.
Cloudflare and Patreon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
