Intel Corp. announced late today that it’s suspending all business operations in Russia, joining various other tech firms that have done the same because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The decision comes after Intel had previously suspended shipments to Russia and Belarus in March.

“Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace,” Intel said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by this war, particularly the people of Ukraine and the surrounding countries and all those around the world with family, friends and loved ones in the region.”

The company has 1,200 employees in Russia and is working to support them through what it refers to as “this difficult situation.” Intel has also put into place business continuity measures to minimize disruption to its global operations.

Intel’s decision previously to suspend shipments to the country in March was prompted by sanctions imposed by the Biden Administration on Feb. 28. Those sanctions included an embargo on the sale of chips to Russia, something the president said would “impair their ability to compete in the 21st-century economy.”

Taiwanese giant and the world’s largest contract semiconductor manufacturer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., was the first company to comply with the embargo.

Other tech firms have also moved to reduce or shut down operations in Russia. Apple Inc. announced on March 1 that it was halting all product sales in the country with Microsoft Corp. following suit on March 4, International Business Machines Corp. on March 8 and Sony Corp. on March 9.

Companies such as Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Airbnb Inc. have also suspended services in the country.

The decision to place embargoes on Russia and withdraw services is meant to damage Russia’s economy. The withdrawal of western technology may not affect Russia immediately, but as information technology and other tech services need replacing, it will make things difficult for Russian businesses and the government in the future.

Photo: Morton Lin/Flickr