Microsoft has also purportedly resumed Windows 11 Updates, too:
Multiple reports in Russian media assert that Intel, which ceased doing business inside Russia and Belarus due to US sanctions levied due to the Ukraine war, has resumed allowing driver and software downloads inside the country. In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. sanctions, Russian users were previously unable to download Intel software. These reports also indicate that Microsoft has now quietly re-enabled automatic Windows 11 updates for Russian users.
"There have been no recent changes to our operations," an Intel spokesperson told Tom's Hardware -- an important qualifier.
"In February and March 2022, Intel suspended all shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus respectively. In April 2022 Intel announced that it was suspending its business operations in Russia," we were told.
"Intel continues to comply with all applicable export regulations and sanctions in the countries in which it operates. This includes compliance with the sanctions and export controls against Russia and Belarus issued by the US and allied nations. Access to resources that meet driver update needs, such as the Intel Download Center and Intel Download Support Assistant (IDSA), are part of Intel's warranty obligations."
Yet sources close to the matter tell us that Intel did initially block downloads in Russia for the software mentioned in the statement; the company restored access in the latter portion of last year. That justifies Intel's statement that the changes weren't "recent." The Intel Driver and Support Assistant (DSA) downloads are now freely available to Russian users due to Intel's warranty obligations.
The Russian media reports indicate that Intel's initial block on downloads began on February 25, 2022, and it appears to be based on the user's geographic location. As such, both individuals and companies in Russia couldn't access downloads from Intel's official site, so they had to spoof their IP address by using a VPN, use torrents, or find copies of the drivers stored in various forums. According to Russian media, 'experts' contended that Intel's blocks prevented the company from fulfilling its warranty obligations to Russian users.
(Score: 5, Funny) by datapharmer on Sunday January 15, @06:35PM (3 children)
Enjoy the Wintel 2023 “security update” Only-for-Russian-users edition that is “sanctions tested and approved”
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Sunday January 15, @07:46PM
In the eternal words of the waiter that got stiffed for a tip "Eat it. I dare you".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 15, @07:53PM
Russian update roulette?
(Score: 2) by MIRV888 on Tuesday January 17, @04:30PM
Windows 11 is free? What a deal.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Sunday January 15, @07:54PM (1 child)
How hard can it be for any half-decent Russian computer user to setup a VPN and download all that crap anyway? Actually I bet they don't have to setup anything: I bet there are unofficial download sources within Russia for all that forbidden stuff.
This entire "halted software shipment" thing is just US posturing. Just like the ban on export of strong cryptography in the 90s. Everybody had the goodies outside the US back then, and everybody has the goodies outside the US today too.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Sunday January 15, @08:00PM
I wouldn't be surprised if the US TLAs' think tanks came to the conclusion that they would rather not train every single Russian citizen in the use of VPN software by blocking downloads to the region and would far rather give the appearance of business as usual while occasionally, quietly, slipping special content into downloads going into certain regions....
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0, Troll) by Captival on Sunday January 15, @07:56PM (19 children)
I still have a tiny Ukraine flag in my twitter bio, so I'm doing my part.
(Score: 1) by Runaway1956 on Sunday January 15, @08:02PM
lol
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 15, @08:04PM (1 child)
Your govt paid billions of dollars to Ukraine too, but who's counting?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Sunday January 15, @08:08PM
Every Billion is roughly $3 per capita ($12 from our household)... I'm good chipping in $100 to stop Putin's expansion instead of something else that $100 might buy.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Sunday January 15, @08:05PM (15 children)
Much like the "Never Forget!" Holocaust survivors constant rehashing of WWII, as long as Russia occupies Ukraine by force, and long after hostilities cease, the world should not be allowed to ignore or forget what is going on.
I'm not ready to pick up a rifle and go kill people for any cause on Earth, but I do support our support of those who have little choice but to fight back or simply give bullies what they try to take by force.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 15, @09:47PM (14 children)
Watching Russia huff and puff against a single neighbor while the West debates at length exactly how much more of its dick to show to win the dick size contest... is kind of laying a heavy nutsack on the forehead of a Russian dictator's legacy.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday January 15, @10:26PM (13 children)
I'm not sure the West really wants to win decisively, it feels like they want a clear sign from Putin that he changed his mind and that it was a mistake after all.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Monday January 16, @12:20AM (12 children)
Agreed. If we wanted Ukraine to win decisively we wouldn't be dribbling weapons to them. We'd be giving them everything we had, including shit that could hit St Petersburg and possibly Moscow. Granted we can't sent our tanks to them (the Abrams uses gas while everything else uses diesel (logistics nightmare)), but we should be sending everything we can to Ukraine and encouraging NATO countries who's tanks run on diesel (hello Germany) to send said tanks to Ukraine.
I mean, just think of the real world testing. From what I've heard Switchblades haven't lived up to expectations, while HIMARS are far exceeding expectations. Instead of vendor controlled test scenarios where the product either always performs as advertised, or "reasons", we have said weapon platforms in a real war.
Putin has nukes. I get that. But fuck, you have to draw a line somewhere and Ukraine is it. If Putin uses nukes Russia is toast.
Then again, I'm old with no kids. YMMV.
I just passed a drug test. My dealer has some explaining to do.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by RedGreen on Monday January 16, @01:15AM (2 children)
"Agreed. If we wanted Ukraine to win decisively we wouldn't be dribbling weapons to them."
Exactly what I have thought from the start watching these spineless bastards we have for leaders in the west doing it. The Ukrainians are doing all the fighting and dying they just need the means to continue to get that victory. And the nuclear BS is just that you can only cry wolf so many times, before it is seen as the hollow threat it is, unless of course again these spineless bastards are going to let him use nukes then doing nothing when they should bomb him back to the stone age with them. While were at it tell the fucking Chinese, North Koreans and the Iranians they are invited to the party too, welcome to the end of the world cocksuckers it is going to be a blast. So goes my rant of the day and I am not really joking it is well past the time to grow a pair and for them scum to be told here is going to be the consequences for your actions...
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 17, @04:12PM (1 child)
Clown.
Putin wants a blaze of glory so we are giving him a damp squib where his own people roll their eyes at him. It's devastating. How long can Russia keep it up? Not as long as the West can keep diverting 1-2% of GDP versus 50% of Russia's GDP. Decades after this war, Russia will be paying for it - losing its satellites, a pariah nation, peasants and lords.
(Score: 2) by RedGreen on Tuesday January 17, @07:04PM
Moron
He only has to go for as long as it takes for these spineless bastards we have for leaders to give up on it. We already have the stupid trickle of arms BS going, useless backstabbing countries with their foot dragging tactics trying to stop that. There is not as much time as you think, this spring determines the whole effort. If Russia can send enough to the slaughter to overwhelm the forces of the Ukraine it is over. All you appeasement supporting assholes will be happy.
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Monday January 16, @01:28AM (8 children)
>Switchblades haven't lived up to expectations
2010 to 2012 I worked at a small company that made a slower, cheaper, operationally similar competitor to the Switchblade. We did a "blow up a pickup truck" demonstration the same weekend as the Switchblade, we had 100% success kamikaze delivering and detonating a live grenade on the hood/windshield of a (stationary) pickup truck, "killing" the two crash test dummies inside.
The Switchblade launched, buzzed around at some insanely high air speed, 80 knots I think, and missed badly - as you say, because: "reasons." They still got the contract award.
>I'm old with no kids.
Well, there's the Sting lyric: "I hope the Russians love their children too." which I find a bit naive when speaking of the oligarchy (on both sides), but... maybe they're smart enough to fear the chaos of the collapse of global civilization following a significant nuclear exchange?
I came of draft age when Ronnie Ray Gun and his handlers were pushing Gorby over the cliff, faced with the choice: "register for selective service or no student loans for you" I did sign up, but was not happy about it, at all. I do have two kids, just passing through prime draft age themselves now, and I think they're better off in a world that tells Putin no now, rather than face the more unpleasant situations likely to happen in 30-50 years if we don't stop it now. Personally, I feel like we should have been stopping the nonsense when they took the Crimea, but you know: reasons. At least it seems to be ending here. For now.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 16, @01:40AM (6 children)
The US might blame the Russians for it though.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Monday January 16, @10:15PM (4 children)
Why? I think if one looks at actual history, they see things like the Cuban missile crisis (at one point Russian military convoys, breaking a US-led embargo, were shadowed by Soviet missile subs with orders to use their nukes should the convoy be intercepted) or the close calls of 1983 (a false alarm [wikipedia.org] which was ignored by the commander on duty followed by the Russian response to the Able Archer [wikipedia.org] NATO exercise which simulated a nuclear attack by Russia). Notice further that none of the examples I gave above were ever willingly mentioned to the West by Soviet sources. They only learned how close it was later - that's a serious tell of how dangerous this situation was that the Soviets refused to warn others when there were close calls.
And since the end of the USSR, we haven't had anyone publicly threatening to use nuclear weapons like what Putin has done during the recent stage of the war in Ukraine. I think the closest that the US might have come was various leaked observations that tactical nukes would probably be needed to destroy Iran's extremely well-protected underground facilities in the mid 2000s. Anonymous threats that went away with Stuxnet and new US leadership.
So sure, you can talk about the US was more likely in the past, but we don't have reason to take you seriously. You are overlooking some serious problems.
The future may be different though. After all, if Russia has shirked its nuclear capabilities as much as it has its conventional military capabilities prior to this important war, then the US may well be the only true nuclear superpower left - that is, an entity with the power to completely destroy the largest countries of the world. And when only one party has this level of power, we may well see a new level of military adventurism to match it, including the willful, frequent use of nuclear weapons.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 17, @04:22PM (3 children)
The Republican party? Their dreams of a Christian theocracy are coming true, praise Jesus. The temptation is so great - the only Superpower, run by true Believers, all it will take is a few devious voting tactics - a means to an end that Jesus is TOTALLY fine with (see the story of Job, e.g). You think that will hold them back? I already hear angels from Africa [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 17, @07:50PM
Say it with me: Our Purity of Essence, OPE, OPE...
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Captival on Tuesday January 17, @10:36PM
Obama: troops sent overseas
Trump: no new deployments
Biden: troops sent overseas
Obama: Russia invades neighbor
Trump: nothing
Biden: Russia invades neighbor
Darn those Republican warmongers! They're always doin' stuffs! People I don't like are bad and responsible for everything! Look at how smart and virtuous I am for pointing it out!
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday January 18, @12:59AM
Only if you consider "coming false" equivalent to "coming true", which you might whether evangelical Christian or not.
Or any other collection of true believers out there. There's plenty of ideologies out there that can pretzel themselves into whatever shape is required, given the opportunity.
(Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Tuesday January 17, @10:46AM
While this may be a simple trolling, the reality is that western people don't really understand how much militarized is the Russian society and how little else they have as a national identity. The reverse is also true - most Russians don't even imagine how little military stuff happens in western people's lives.
(Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Tuesday January 17, @11:13AM
There is no saying "no" to Putin right now. You have to get them very much hungry first. Back in 1990s it was pretty much possible, but back then very long time has passed from previous typically Russian actions and these were not advertised much anyway (Hitler took it all in WW2 and e.g. Afghanistan was pretty much local). So US just poured money over Russia instead.