Intel shuts down all business operations in Russia

US chipmaker Intel announced Tuesday night that it had suspended all business operations in Russia, joining tech other companies who pulled out of the country due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Intel had already suspended all shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus last month after the US government issued sweeping sanctions that prevented the export of technology to the countries.

With today's announcement, Intel is shutting down all business operations in the country, which includes 1,200 employees located in Russia.

“Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace," announced Intel in a Tuesday night press release.

"Effective immediately, we have suspended all business operations in Russia. This follows our earlier decision to suspend all shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus.

Intel says they are working on supporting all of their Russian employees during the shutdown and have implemented business continuity plans to minimize disruption.

With AMD, Intel, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) halting all sales and shipments to Russia, the country is facing an IT crisis that could lead to telecommunication outages and business disruption.

Last month, Russia's RSPP Commission for Communications and IT warned of potential Internet service outages due to the lack of available telecom equipment and replacement parts.

The Russian government is also allegedly searching for ways to overcome a data storage crisis in the public sector, as data storage companies, including cloud services, are no longer selling to Russia.