Dell to suspend all Russian operations after office closures in August

The Dell logo can be seen on an item for sale at a store in Manhattan, New York City, US, Nov. 24, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

MOSCOW, Aug. 27 (Reuters) – Dell Technologies Inc. said Saturday it had halted all Russian operations after closing its offices in mid-August, the latest in a growing list of Western companies looking to exit Russia.

The US computer company, an essential supplier of servers in Russia, has joined others in curtailing operations since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Dell suspended sales in Ukraine and Russia in February and said it would monitor the situation to determine next steps.

“In mid-August, we closed our offices and halted all Russian operations,” Dell spokesman Mike Siemienas told Reuters.

“In February, we made the decision not to sell, maintain or support any products in Russia, Belarus and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, in addition to the already embargo in Crimea.”

Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and in February recognized self-proclaimed breakaway republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, actions condemned by Ukraine and Western countries, which have imposed sanctions on Russia.

Russia’s Ministry of Industry said on Friday that many of the researchers and engineers working for Dell in Russia have already taken on new jobs after media reports said the company was making a full exit.

Technology-focused publication CNews reported this week that Dell would leave Russia completely and lay off all of its local employees. The IT-focused news portal TAdviser published a similar report.

“We are monitoring the development of the situation,” the TASS news agency quoted Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Vasily Shpak as saying on Friday.

“According to our data, the vast majority of Dell’s R&D center specialists and support technicians in St. Petersburg and Moscow have already received vacancies with competitive wages from Russian manufacturers.”

Reporting by Alexander Marrow in Moscow and Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Christina Fincher and Edmund Blair

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