The two enterprise software vendors are suspending business operations in Russia to show solidarity with Ukraine. Credit: Svetlana Turchenick / Shutterstock In the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, SAP and Oracle have both announced that they are suspending all business operations in Russia. The decision from the two major IT vendors came in the wake of a request from Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who posted letters he’d written to both companies on Twitter yesterday. In his letter to Oracle, Fedorov wrote: “The IT industry always supports values of responsibility and democracy … now, more than ever, people’s lives depend on your choice.” Oracle replied to the tweet, stating that on behalf of the people of Ukraine and its elected government, the company has “suspended all operations in the Russian Federation.” However, the company has not provided any further comment on the situation since the tweet was posted. SAP also responded publicly, publishing a blog post by CEO Christian Klein, titled “Standing in Solidarity” on Wednesday. “Like the rest of the world, we are watching the war in Ukraine with horror and condemn the invasion in the strongest possible terms,” Klein wrote. SAP says it has stopped business in Russia in alignment with global sanctions and is pausing all sales of SAP services and products in the country. It is currently unclear what this means for existing Russian customers of SAP and Oracle software. Other organizations, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, Google, and Ford have all taken steps to limit the availability of their products and services in the region, alongside financial services, entertainment and oil companies. Music streaming platform Spotify also announced its office in Russia would be closing indefinitely. Speaking at a joint press conference in Lithuania this morning, alongside leaders from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said “it’s vital that we keep our foot on the gas,” when it comes to sanctions against Russia, Russia has responded with the promise of tax exemptions and immunity from military conscription for domestic IT workers, according to a report from the Armenia News service. Related content opinion GenAI is to data visibility what absolute zero is to a hot summer day Given the plethora of privacy rules already in place in Europe, how are companies with shiny, new, not-understood genAI tools supposed to comply? (Hint: they can’t.) By Evan Schuman May 06, 2024 6 mins Data Privacy GDPR Generative AI news How many jobs are available in technology in the US? Tech unemployment was down slightly in April, but AI hiring was up — way up. And job listings showed more signs of a shift in recruiting practices with a growing emphasis on skill-based hiring. By Lucas Mearian May 06, 2024 160 mins Remote Work Salaries Financial Services Industry news With its new iPad, Apple's Empire strikes back Apple is preparing to introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models as it seeks to regain momentum in the tablet market. By Jonny Evans May 06, 2024 5 mins iPad Apple Tablets opinion Can AI tools help reduce Zoom fatigue? When it comes to meetings, whether in person or on video, can anything make them better? Yes, but it’s not the technology. By Steven Vaughan-Nichols May 06, 2024 5 mins Augmented Reality Generative AI Zoom Video Communications Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe