Dell Suspends All Activities in Russia After Offices Shutdown in August | Business and Business News

Dell is among several Western firms restricting operations in Russia after Moscow sent troops to Ukraine.

Dell Technologies Inc said on Saturday it had halted all Russian operations after closing its offices in mid-August, the latest in a growing list of Western companies to leave Russia.

The US computer firm, a key provider of servers in Russia, has joined others to limit operations since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine on February 24.

Dell suspended sales in Ukraine and Russia in February and said it will monitor the situation to determine next steps.

“We closed our offices and suspended all activities in Russia in mid-August,” Dell spokesman Mike Siemienas told Reuters.

“Back in February, we made the decision not to sell, service or support products in Russia, Belarus and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, in addition to the already embargoed Crimea.”

Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and in February recognized self-proclaimed breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, moves condemned by Ukraine and western nations that have imposed sanctions on Russia.

Russia’s Industry Ministry said on Friday that many of the researchers and engineers working for Dell in Russia had already been offered new jobs after media reports said the company was making a full exit.

Tech-focused publication CNews reported this week that Dell is leaving Russia entirely, laying off all local employees. The IT-oriented news portal TAdviser published a similar report.

“We are monitoring the development of the situation,” the TASS news agency quoted Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Vasily Shpak as saying on Friday.

“According to our data, the vast majority of specialists and support engineers at Dell’s R&D centers in St. Petersburg and Moscow have already received competitively-paid vacancies from Russian manufacturers.”