Putin Urges Russia to Limit Use of Microsoft Teams and Zoom

Whoa, okay, so let me just ramble here a bit about this whole deal with western software and Russia. I stumbled on this headline about Microsoft Teams, Zoom, you know, all those go-to apps we’ve been chained to? They’re apparently on the target list over in Russia. Putin’s idea—just throttle ‘em, choke ‘em out of business in his neck of the woods. It’s like a digital game of cat and mouse but on a bizarre global scale. Picture Reuters reporting this, and me, trying to wrap my head around it. Or was it the other way around?

So, apparently Microsoft kinda hit the pause button on selling software to Russia back in 2022. What’s available now is just the bare bones. Mind you, this isn’t some isolated thing—big companies seem to have packed their bags en masse.

Now, here’s where it gets a bit weird—something about Russian alternatives. Ever heard of Vkusno i Tochka? Apparently, they filled the fast-food void after Mickey D’s left. Classic case of “out with the old, in with the new,” right? Putin probably wants the tech sector to pull a similar stunt. A la Russian versions of everything. Never thought I’d compare data suites with burgers, but here we are.

And then there’s Kaspersky Lab—bet you didn’t think they’d pop up here. Apparently, they’re playing both sides of the fence—headquartered in Moscow yet have connections in the UK. They announced plans to close up shop in the U.S. too. Sanctions and all that jazz, you know? It’s like a weird game of chess, where one piece moves and suddenly the board rearranges itself.

Then, like icing on this confusing cake, you’ve got Trump throwing his two cents in. “Vladimir’s gone nuts!” he screams on Truth Social. He’s taking a swing at Putin while missiles fly around. I mean, I get it—Ukraine isn’t exactly a vacation spot nowadays. Missiles and drones and chaos, oh my.

It’s a layered mess, this whole thing. Almost like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube with one hand tied behind your back. Or maybe it all makes perfect sense, but I’m just getting distracted by the noise. Anyway—or wait, was that the point? I dunno.