Putin threatens to ‘throttle’ Western firms

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday threatened to "throttle" Western firms remaining in Russia and acting against its interests, as part of Moscow's effort to beef up domestic software development.

"We need to throttle them. I completely agree, and I say this without hesitation," he said in response to a businessman's call to curb the activities of US tech companies Zoom and Microsoft. Many Western firms significantly wound down their activities in Russia after Moscow launched offensive on Ukraine.