Red Hat Discontinues Sales In Russia Over Ukraine

‘I’m confident that I speak for all of us when I say that the still unfolding war in Ukraine is heartbreaking,’ Red Hat CEO Paul Cormier says.

IBM subsidiary Red Hat has discontinued sales, services and partner relationships for organizations located or headquartered in Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Paul Cormier, CEO of Raleigh, N.C.-based Red Hat, wrote in a blog post Tuesday that his company also launched a cross-functional team to connect with every employee in Ukraine and Russia to provide support and resources.

“I’m confident that I speak for all of us when I say that the still unfolding war in Ukraine is heartbreaking,” Cormier said. “As a company, we stand in unity with everyone affected by the violence and condemn the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine. We add our voices to those calling for peace and will continue to work to enable the safety of our impacted associates and their families in any way we can.

[RELATED: IBM Suspends Business In Russia Over Ukraine Invasion]

The post doesn’t explicitly say why Belarus was included in the sanctions. But Belarus has reportedly voiced intentions of joining Russia in invading Ukraine and allowed Russia to use its territory, according to CNN.

CRN has reached out to Red Hat for comment

The company also helped Ukrainians employees and their families move to nearby countries for safety, according to the post.

“In the last few days alone, Red Hat-organized buses have safely transported several dozen of our Ukrainian associates’ family members across the border to Poland,” according to the post. “We are also supporting our associates in Russia.”

Red Hat is also offering donation matching for certain organizations.

Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, IBM and others have condemned the Russian attack and taken steps to decrease their presence in the country.

Partners of these companies have told CRN that they appreciate vendors staying on top of global events and using their resources for humanitarian purposes.

Mark Wyllie, CEO of Boca Raton, Fla.-based IBM and Red Hat partner Flagship Solutions Group, told CRN in an interview that he’s glad to see the companies and their leaders take a stand “in supporting democracy and solidarity against the unbelievable events in Ukraine.”

Phil Walker, CEO of Network Solutions Provider, a Microsoft partner based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and member of CRN’s 2022 Managed Service Provider 500, told CRN in an interview that he is glad to see Mcirosoft and other tech vendors stand up for Ukraine.

“It shows that they’re paying attention,” Walker said.