Another tech giant is taking action against Russia, due to the invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov shared a copy of letters on Twitter, addressing Oracle co-founder and CTO Larry Ellison, Oracle CEO Safra Catz, and SAP’s chief executive officer Christian Klein. Fedorov requested Oracle to end business relationships with Russia in response to the current situation.
More sanctions imposed — faster peace restored in Ukraine! I’ve addressed to @SAP and @Oracle for support! pic.twitter.com/oGoRi1iOBa
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 2, 2022
In his letter, Fedorov stated:
« Ukraine is now on the frontline of the defense of the principles of democracy and freedom in the face of the war waged by Russian Federation. The IT industry always supports values of responsibility and democracy. I believe your country shares them. Modern technology in 2022 is also the way we can defend our country and citizens, and that’s why we need your support. »
Oracle responded to the tweet and stated that the company has already suspended all operations in the Russian Federation.
Apple and Steam
Apple also announced that product sales are now paused in Russia and state-controlled RT News and Sputnik News have been revoked from the App Store outside of the country. Apple has also disabled traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure.
Another tech giant taking steps against the invasion is Steam. The company is now allowing purchases with bank cards on a Russian account, currently, only PayPal or an internal wallet is available. When users try to purchase with a card, Steam shows a warning that says:
« Currently, purchase using the selected payment method is not possible. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. »
GOG online store has also banned paying for products in Russian Rubles.