Russian residents can no longer download installation files for Windows 10 or 11 from the Microsoft website. Residents of the country will see an error message. It’s not clear if this was a bug or a deliberate decision by Microsoft.
According to the editors of BleepingComputer Currently, Russian residents cannot download Windows 10 and 11 installation files. Windows 10 Update Assistant, Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, and Windows 11 Update Assistant are also not available to download. If Russian residents try to download it anyway, you will see an error message that the required file was not found or there is a problem. It may be possible to download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, but running the tool does not work.
Bleeping Computer editors tested this by trying to download the files above via a VPN server located in Russia. If Russian residents are using a VPN server located in another country, BleepingComputer says the installation files can still be downloaded. It is not clear if this is a new action by Microsoft in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or whether it is a mistake. Tweakers wrote shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine Background article The attitudes of the tech giants toward Russia are further explored.
