MS Blocks Windows 10 And Windows 11 Downloads In Russia

Multiple brands started withdrawing from Russia after the invasion the country started invading Ukraine. Big tech companies like Google filed for bankruptcy in Russia due to circumstances. Although, Google continued its services as many Russian people rely on them.

People in Russia can no longer download Windows 10 and Windows 11 on their PCs. Microsoft has abruptly stopped the downloading services along with installation tools for Windows in Russia. The company provided no reason for the block Whatsoever.

Users within Russia are reportedly unable to download copies of either operating system (Windows 10 and 11) from the official Microsoft servers. However, downloading over a VPN by setting the IP address outside of Russia makes it possible.

Why did Microsoft block users from downloading Windows 10 and 11?

According to BleepingComputer, Over the weekend, Russian news agency TASS broke the initial news of this issue. It swiftly started gaining a lot of traction on Twitter. Russian users are being presented with the warning “404 – File or Directory not found” while attempting to download the Windows 10 Update Assistant.

The same goes for the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, and the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. Users are also presented with the error message “There was a problem with your request” while attempting to download Windows 10 and Windows 11 ISOs.

Although it is still possible to download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool but running it gives a 0x80072F8F-0x20000 error. It says “For some unknown reason, this tool failed to run on your computer.”

The company took an early decision in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. They suspended sales in Russia and gave millions in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as well as doubled all donations made by Microsoft employees.

The initial reports about failing download were brought in by IT experts since TASS reported the issues on Sunday morning. Although Microsoft has not acknowledged whether the incident is a mistake or caused on purpose; the business has been open about its ongoing efforts to restrict Russian forces in Ukraine since the crisis began.

Do you feel Microsoft blocking its services in Russia is justified? Comment your thoughts down below.