Russians say they can grab software from Intel again

People successful Russia tin reportedly erstwhile again download drivers and immoderate different package from Intel and Microsoft, which some withdrew from nan federation aft its penetration of Ukraine.

Be alert that folks and companies successful Russia person to return a somewhat circuitous way to get those files, according to Moscow's CNews.

The situation, we're assured, is this: while Intel's website mostly remains closed to netizens visiting from Russia, if those group tin scope Intel's download portal from a hunt motor aliases immoderate different place, they tin now, erstwhile again, usage that tract moreover if they are successful nan onshore of Putin. In different words, they can't travel successful done nan beforehand door, but if they tin find nan correct URL, it should now work. After warfare collapsed out, that wasn't nan case, we're told.

Both Intel and Microsoft pulled retired of Russia pursuing nan country's deadly penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022. Intel astatine first said it did truthful to comply pinch US export regulations that blocked nan proviso of semiconductors to Russia for circumstantial reasons, including subject applications.

A period into nan business and nan chip-making elephantine stopped each income successful Russia, and successful April that twelvemonth temporarily halted each business operations successful nan nation, saying successful a connection it was joining "the world organization successful condemning Russia's warfare against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace." At nan time, Intel had 1,200 labor successful Russia.

This week Intel said successful a moderately cryptic connection that "access to resources that meet driver update needs, specified arsenic nan Intel Download Center and Intel Download Support Assistant, are portion of Intel's warranty obligations." In different words, if you find yourself capable to fetch worldly that you couldn't before, that's apparently why: warranty obligations.

Also, we statement it's mostly a bully thought to fto group download drivers from charismatic sources alternatively than unofficial ones wherever they tin beryllium riddled pinch malware. (Insert joke present astir Intel driver value and bugs.)

Other than that, everything's still nan same, we're told. "There person been nary caller changes to our operations; Intel continues to comply pinch each applicable export regulations and sanctions successful nan countries successful which it operates," nan corporation's spinners said.

"This includes compliance pinch nan sanctions and export controls against Russia and Belarus issued by nan US and allied nations."

Unnamed sources told Tom's Hardware connected Friday that while Intel did artifact connections from Russia, nan chipmaker restored entree precocious past twelvemonth to nan Intel driver and support downloads portal. Crucially, it seems group successful Russia can't straight download drivers and different codification from Intel; they person to usage nan automatic download tool. If they want to download files directly, they'll request to travel successful from a non-Russian IP address.

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CNews besides wrote that contempt Intel's determination not to waste processors successful Russia, citizens and companies are capable to get them done various "virtual storefronts" – catalogs and marketplaces. It's portion of what nan news tract called "parallel imports," a roundabout measurement of buying nan chips from "gray" importers that Russia has legalized and that it says has been operating since May 2022.

And what astir Microsoft?

According to CNews, Microsoft took a akin way arsenic Intel successful allowing immoderate downloads. The Windows shaper likewise has been vocal astir its support for Ukraine, including announcing it was giving nan embattled state arsenic overmuch arsenic $100 million worthy of unreality support, adding to different support pledged.

Soon aft nan invasion, Microsoft began shutting its doors to Russia, including prohibiting Russian citizens aliases corporations from downloading Windows distributions, package updates, aliases information patches from its websites.

However, Russian media reports opportunity that immoderate of these restrictions were lifted astatine nan extremity of 2022 and that arsenic of this week, updates for astatine slightest Windows 11 could beryllium downloaded and installed by folks successful Russia.

"As we shared previously, we person stopped each caller merchandise and services income successful Russia and are complying pinch sanctions from nan EU, UK and US," Microsoft told The Register successful a statement.

So, updates for existing products are OK, then? Got it. ®