Amazon Blocks AWS New Sign-ups In Russia, Belarus

Amazon.com Inc. said its cloud-computing unit Amazon Web Services or AWS is no longer accepting new customers based in Russia or Belarus following Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Amazon also suspended shipment of retail products to customers based in Russia and Belarus, and will no longer be accepting new Russia and Belarus-based Amazon third-party sellers.

In addition, access to Amazon Prime Video for customers based in Russia have been suspended. The company will no longer be taking orders for New World, which is the only video game it sells directly in Russia.

In a company blog post, the tech major said, “Unlike other U.S. technology providers, AWS has no data centers, infrastructure, or offices in Russia, and we have a long-standing policy of not doing business with the Russian government. We have also stopped allowing new sign-ups for AWS in Russia and Belarus.”

The company noted that its biggest customers using AWS in Russia are companies who are headquartered outside of the country.

Earlier, the Ukrainian government had asked Amazon to suspend all of its cloud services in Russia.

In a letter to the company, Mykhailo Fedorov, a Ukrainian deputy prime minister, noted that suspending the provision of AWS services in the Russian Federation will support a global united motion of many governments and businesses who have chosen long-term stability and growth over potential temporary profit losses.

Amazon earlier had said that AWS was working closely with Ukrainian customers and partners to keep their applications secure. Teams of Account Managers, Security Specialists, Solutions Architects, and other technical professionals are working throughout to help customers and partners at this critical time.

Amazon also said it donated $5 million towards humanitarian needs in Ukraine. Over 10,000 employees have donated to the effort, with the company matching employees’ donations.

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