Australian software company Atlassian has finally quit the Russian market, joining information technology companies Accenture, Infosys, Cisco and Canva, who long ago exited the Russian market in protest at the Russian Government’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Atlassian’s previous stand of continuing to trade with Russian businesses had been severely criticised by the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) and been the subject of weekly protests by the Ukrainians in Sydney rallies group outside Atlassian’s Sydney offices.
In a statement released today, the company said:
Due to the ongoing actions of the Russian Government against the Ukrainian people and the compulsion of business to support this illegal invasion, we have concluded we can no longer operate in Russia at all. As a result, we will be winding down our Russian and Belarusian business completely from 31st October 2022.
We continue to be appalled by the actions of the Russian Government and stand with the people and the government of Ukraine, and offer our support in any way we can. As always, we continue to work closely with impacted Atlassian employees to ensure they are treated with respect and have our full support during this difficult time.
Ms Kateryna Argyrou, AFUO Co-Chair, welcomed the announcement.
“Any company which continues to trade with Russia leaves itself open to supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine due to the services being provided to Russian clients, who derive revenue and pay taxes in Russia. This helps to create jobs and sustain the Russian economy, prolonging the war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” she said.
“Recent proposed changes to Russian law also will compel Russian businesses to supply goods and services to the Russian military. This effectively places the Russian economy on a war footing.”
“We are glad Atlassian has finally made a stand for its values and shown shareholders, staff and the global community it takes its corporate social responsibilities seriously. Remaining in Russia compromises any company’s ability to be a corporate leader and be part of a better society,” she added.
Some of the companies continuing to do business as usual with Russia include Freelancer, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airlines, and luxury brands Giorgio Armani and Tom Ford.
Click here for the Yale School of Management list of companies who have exited or are staying in Russia.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Buenk
