Amazon Web Services halts new signs up in Russia, Belarus

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Amazon Web Services announced on Tuesday that it is not accepting any new customers in Russia and Belarus.

Amazon's cloud computing division said in an updated statement its biggest customers in Russia "are companies who are headquartered outside of the country and have some development teams there." It did not specify a rationale for the decision.

Several western and US firms, including McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola, have announced their departure from Russia over its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russia's war on Ukraine has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

The West has also imposed biting export restrictions on key technologies that are now prohibited from being sent to Russia.

At least 406 civilians have been killed and 801 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, while also noting that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

Some 2 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.