Microsoft has suspended plans to provide tablets to Russian schools under a deal expected to benefit a textbook publisher headed by Kremlin ally Arkady Rotenberg, citing "concerns" over Western sanctions, a news report said.
According to an agreement signed in late September, Microsoft would "provide free of charge, to [publisher] Prosveshcheniye, the same type of technical assistance that [it] provides at no cost to thousands of schools and publishers worldwide," Microsoft said in a statement cited Saturday by the New York Times.
A long-time ally of President Vladimir Putin, Rotenberg, who heads the the board of directors of Prosvescheniye, has been targeted by Western sanctions over Moscow's involvement in Ukraine.
Microsoft said it had "not found evidence" that the publishing house, like its board chairman, is subject to any U.S. or European sanctions, but had decided to "follow up on the concerns by postponing work under the agreement and conducting an additional review," The New York Times reported.
The U.S. software giant's Windows-based tablets would be delivered to schools across Russia in a move toward making electronic versions of all Russian school textbooks available by 2015, the report said.
The deal was widely expected to strengthen Prosvescheniye's market position, following a reshuffle of the textbook industry that has seen many of its competitors go out of business for failing new textbook mandates, including ones on books' "ethno-cultural value."
Citing Mikhail Morozovsky, editor in chief of the trade journal Book Business, the New York Times said government procurement records showed Prosvescheniye won 60 to 70 percent of Russia's textbook contracts, worth $187 million, in the first seven months of the year.
The publisher is also providing 80 percent of textbooks being shipped to the newly annexed Crimea peninsula, the report said.
Since last winter, the number of textbooks approved for Russian schools has more than halved, the New York Times report said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.