Foreign information technology (IT) companies that have left the Russian market following Western sanctions this year lost roughly $10 billion in profits, the head of Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, Maksut Shadaev, said on Tuesday.

The minister said that these companies, including prominent names in the industry like IBM and Microsoft, made the decision to leave on their own, aware of the losses they would suffer.

“According to our estimates, the losses of international IT-companies that stopped their activities in the country in 2022 amounted to 650-700 billion rubles ($9.4-$10.2 billion),” he said, speaking at a parliamentary meeting.

Shadaev noted that Russia was eager to work with countries that are ready for cooperation despite sanctions. Even with the exodus by Western firms, the country’s technology and projects in the IT sphere remain competitive, he said.

“We are now seeing a great demand for joint projects in Russian technology in Latin American countries, the Middle East, and Asia,” Shadaev remarked. He stressed that Russia would not be left out of the global IT industry and would find opportunities for cooperation on the basis of fair partnerships.

A large number of international companies, not limited to IT, have stopped working in Russia due to sanctions pressure. The list includes American, European and Japanese automakers, energy majors, retailers, restaurant and hotel chains, clothing brands and many others.

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https://www.rt.com/business/568597-western-companies-leaving-russia-cost/

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By Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC [CARTOON AT TOP]) has repeated a call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be assassinated, saying that the only way the war in Ukraine could end is if Russia “breaks” and someone “takes Putin out.”

“How does this war end? When Russia breaks, and they take Putin out. Anything short of that, the war’s gonna continue,” Graham said on the Fox News program America Reports on Wednesday.

Graham said the US is “in it to win it, and the only way you’re gonna win it is to break the Russian military and have somebody in Russia take Putin out to give the Russian people a new lease on life.”

The hawkish senator made similar comments back in March when he asked if there was a “Brutus” in Russia who could kill Putin. In his comments on Wednesday, Graham also said the Biden administration should send Ukraine the advanced and long-range weapons that Kyiv has been asking for.

When asked to what extent the US should continue to support Ukraine in the war, Graham replied, “completely, all in without equivocation.” He said the US needs to provide Ukraine with longer-range weapons to help “dislodge” Russia from areas of eastern Ukraine, including Crimea.

He said if Ukraine had larger drones, such as Reapers and Gray Eagles, Ukraine would “kill tons of Russians without losing any Ukrainians in the endeavor.” Ukraine has asked for Gray Eagle drones, which can fly for about 30 hours and are capable of carrying powerful Hellfire Missiles, but the Biden administration has held off from sending them so far.

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https://scheerpost.com/2022/12/25/sen-lindsey-graham-says-ukraine-war-will-only-end-if-putin-is-taken-out/

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SENATOR STUPID GRAHAM DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AWARE THAT PUTIN IS A VERY VERY MODERATE IN THE RUSSIAN HIERARCHY. SHOULD PUTIN "BE TAKEN OUT" ALL HELL WOULD BREAK LOOSE. WE WISH SENATOR STUPID GRAHAM ALL THE PEACE IN THE WORLD..... 

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