Intel already suspended 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. This announcement means that it is closing all business operations in the country, which includes 1,200 employees located in Russia.

Chipzilla said: “Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace. 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 its Russian employees during the shutdown and have implemented business continuity plans to minimise disruption.

AMD, Intel, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) halted all sales and shipments to Russia,  which means that Tsar Putin 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 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.