Putin threatens to 'throttle' Western firms remaining in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with representatives from Russian business circles in Moscow on Monday. | AFP-JIJI

Wires
May 27, 2025

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday threatened to "throttle" Western firms remaining in Russia and acting against its interests, as part of Moscow's effort to beef up domestic software development.

"We need to throttle them. I completely agree, and I say this without hesitation," he said in response to a businessman's call to curb the activities of U.S. tech companies Zoom and Microsoft, which currently provide only limited services in Russia.

Many Western firms left Russia or significantly wound down their activities in the country after Moscow launched its military offensive on Ukraine, prompting a barrage of economic sanctions from Ukraine's allies.