Slack ends support for Russian users

Slack's app on a smartphone
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Slack has discontinued its services in Russia, following in the footsteps of Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, Slack has discontinued its services in Russia.

The Salesforce-owned messaging app is excluding Russian users from its platform in accordance with international sanctions levied upon Russia and policies enacted by its parent company following the invasion of Ukraine.

“We do not have a material business in Russia. Through resellers and other channels we have a very small number of Russia-based customers, and we began exiting those relationships last week. Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine, their loved ones, and all of those affected,” Salesforce announced last week.

Per reports, several Russian organizations lost access to their Slack accounts without warning, rendering any data available for download impossible. That said, the lockout only impacts companies directly sanctioned under the law.

"Slack is required to take action to comply with sanctions regulations in the U.S. and other countries where we operate, including in some circumstances suspending accounts without prior notice, as mandated by law," the company told Axios in a statement.

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"We are in contact with affected customers regarding the impact of these actions on their account status, where permitted by law."

Slack won't delete any data belonging to its Russian customers, however, sanctions prevent users from accessing data until after the ban is lifted.

Earlier this month, AMD, Intel, and TSMC blocked chip sales to Russia. Having limited production capacity at home, the move poses a significant threat to Russia’s military computing applications.