Cisco confirms plan to exit Russia permanently

Ericsson
(Image credit: Ericsson)

Networking giant Cisco will wind down its businesses in Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

The company first suspended its operations in the two countries back in March 2022 alongside several other major technology and mobile companies, condemning the “unjustified war” and the violence against civilians.

Apple, Ericsson, Microsoft and Nokia are among the most notable firms to take action since the start of the invasion. Now Cisco has decided to make its stance permanent and has started the process of withdrawal.

Cisco in Russia

“Since our announcement on March 3, we have continued to closely monitor the war in Ukraine,” the company said in a statement on its website. 

“We have now made the decision to begin an orderly wind-down of our business in Russia and Belarus.

“We are focused on ensuring impacted employees in Russia and Belarus are treated with respect and have our support through this transition. Cisco remains committed to using all its resources to help our employees, the institutions and people of Ukraine, and our customers and partners during this challenging time.

“We will communicate directly with customers, partners, and vendors to settle our financial matters, including refunding prepaid service and software arrangements, to the extent permissible under applicable laws and regulations.”

Earlier this week it was reported that users in Russia could not download Windows 10 or Windows 11. 

Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro's resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade's experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media.