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Russian media has claimed that Intel and Microsoft have restarted their business in Russia and Belarus after an initial shutdown due to the former’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions imposed on the country.
Intel reportedly suspended all shipments to Russia in February 2022, two months before ceasing all business there, preventing Russian customers from accessing software updates and other downloads.
It has also been reported that Microsoft has since allowed Windows 11 updates in Russia, but customers in the country are still unable to download and install the company’s latest operating system.
Intel and Microsoft in Russia
As a result, Russian media reported that the blocks prevented companies like Intel from meeting their warranty obligations, while some customers turned to VPNs, torrents, and other sources to find copies.
According to Intel (via Tom’s hardware (opens in new tab)): “access to resources that meet the need for driver updates, such as the Intel Download Center and Intel Download Support Assistant, are part of Intel’s warranty commitments,” suggesting that it may have restored access to certain products, purely on the basis of warranty compliance.
Another source would have told it Tom’s hardware that while Intel had blocked downloads in Russia earlier in 2022, access was restored later that year.
Some Russian media sources claim that it is again possible to access the Intel download portal without using tools such as a VPN, but the portal had to be found by a search engine, as the main part of Intel’s site would still be inaccessible in Russia .
Tech Radar Pro contacted both companies regarding the resumption of operations in Russia. Intel told us:
“In February and March 2022, Intel suspended (opens in new tab) all shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus respectively. In April 2022, Intel announced it did suspend (opens in new tab) its business activities in Russia.
There are no recent changes to our activities; Intel continues to comply with all applicable export regulations and sanctions in the countries in which it operates. This includes compliance with sanctions and export controls against Russia and Belarus enacted by the US and allied countries. Access resources that meet driver update needs, such as the Intel Download Center (opens in new tab) and Intel Download Support Assistant (IDSA) (opens in new tab)are part of Intel’s warranty obligations.”
Microsoft did not immediately respond to our request.