RT reported that this move comes as Microsoft has narrowed its operations in Russia since the conflict in Ukraine escalated.
Since March 2022, Microsoft has stopped selling products and services in Russia, and suspended many other activities to comply with Western sanctions against Moscow.
After the decision to withdraw from the Russian market, the company also stopped renewing Microsoft 365 subscription packages, including Outlook, Teams, Office, OneDrive andpoint, to corporate customers. Some organizations in Russia have also been disconnected from cloud computing services such as Visio Online, Project Online and Power BI.
This suspension has led to many lawsuits by Russian corporations against the subsidiary Microsoft rus, including Severstal, Uralkali, VTB, MegaFon, Gazprombank and other units. According to Russia's RBK newspaper, the total value of lawsuits related to breaches of contract obligations after Microsoft's withdrawal amounted to 341 million rubles, equivalent to nearly 3.6 million USD.
Financial data shows that Microsoft Rus' revenue last year reached 161.6 million rubles, about 2 million USD, with a net profit of 174.1 million rubles, equivalent to 2.13 million USD. In 2021, before withdrawing from Russia, the company's revenue reached 6.9 billion rubles (84.5 million USD), profit was 638.1 million rubles (7.8 million USD), showing a serious decline after operations were stagnant.
Despite the withdrawal, Microsoft continues to register its trademark in Russia. Earlier this year, the company registered the Microsoft Places trademark with Rospatent. According to the records, the company plans to provide or provide temporary access to Office Environment Management software, Office Space Management and related software until 2023.
In that context, some international corporations that have withdrawn from the Russian market such as McDonalds, Hyundai, Intel, LG, iPhone, Chanel, Rolex and Louis Vuitton have also begun to re-register their trademarks in this country, suggesting that they are likely considering a comeback.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that foreign companies should only return when it is in line with domestic economic benefits. He stressed that Moscow will not lay the red carpet for businesses like McDonalds to return to the Russian market.
