After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, IBM joined
hundreds of other companies in suspending business in the country. Many others
had announced a complete exit from Russia.
"As the consequences of the war continue to mount and
uncertainty about its long-term ramifications grows, we have now made the
decision to carry out an orderly wind-down of IBM's business in Russia,"
Chief Executive Arvind Krishna wrote to employees.
Krishna told Reuters early last month that he was not sure
how much longer the company could pay its employees in Russia in light of
escalating sanctions.
An IBM spokesman said there were several hundred employees
in Russia.
"Our colleagues in Russia have, through no fault of
their own, endured months of stress and uncertainty... I want to assure them
that IBM will continue to stand by them and take all reasonable steps to
provide support and make their transition as orderly as possible," Krishna
wrote.
Last week, Russian subscribers have lost access to streaming
giant Netflix in the latest pullout of a Western company over the conflict in
Ukraine.
The Netflix site and apps were no longer available from June
3 and a Netflix spokesperson confirmed that subscribers no longer had access.
"This is the fulfilment of the withdrawal from the
Russian market" announced in March, a Netflix spokesperson told AFP.
The US-based platform announced in early March that it was
withdrawing from Russia after Moscow sent thousands of troops into pro-Western
Ukraine