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The main Russian subsidiary of U.S. tech giant Microsoft Corp., known as Microsoft Rus, is preparing to file for bankruptcy, according to a notice published May 30 on the official Fathers portal.
The move appears to mark the final step in Microsoft’s withdrawal from the Russian market, a process that formally began in spring 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While the company sharply reduced its operations after the invasion—with revenue in Russia plunging from 6.9 billion rubles (about $90 million) in 2021 to 161.6 million rubles (about $2 million) in 2024, according to Russian Business Consulting—it maintained a legal presence in the country.

According to accounting reports, the subsidiary still posted a net profit of 174.1 million rubles (about $2.2 million) in 2024.

In January 2025, Russian state-owned Gazprombank, listed as the main creditor of Microsoft Rus, demanded 90.9 million rubles (about $1.1 million), alleging a breach of contract. The bank claimed Microsoft stopped fulfilling its obligations in April 2022 despite having received full payment.

A Russian court in April partially upheld Gazprombank’s claim, ordering Microsoft Rus to pay $887,000 for unjust enrichment and an additional $62,000 in interest—a total judgment of $949,000.

Since 2022, Microsoft Rus has faced multiple lawsuits from Russian firms, including steelmaker Severstal, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, and the state-run VTB Bank. The companies alleged Microsoft failed to honor software licensing agreements for products like Windows and Office after suspending its Russian operations.

Between December 2024 and January 2025, the company closed its offices in 13 Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok.

The bankruptcy filing follows recent remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin targeting Western companies that reduced operations in Russia but continue to maintain a legal presence.

“We need to strangle them, I agree completely, I say this without any embarrassment. Because they are trying to strangle us—we need to reciprocate, that’s all,” Putin said May 26 during a meeting with government officials, specifically naming Microsoft and Zoom.

He added that Russia had not prevented foreign firms from leaving, but since some are “trying to suffocate” Russia, the country should respond in kind. He also directed officials to begin reducing Russia’s dependence on Western digital services.

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to NTD News’ request for comment.

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