Re: Should distros take steps to reduce russian access to Free Software?

[Akira Urushibata]

Two recent news articles which relate to the discussion.

Zelensly states that he wants IT companies to stop supporting Russian
versions of their products.  Some of his supporters may feel that free
software developers should do likewise.

The second article argues that matters are not so simple.

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Zelensky Presses Companies - Microsoft, SAP And Oracle - To Punish
Russia More
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/03/13/zelensky-presses-companies-microsoft-sap-and-oracle-to-punish-russia-more/

   Tagging Microsoft, Oracle and SAP's official accounts, Zelensky
   tweeted Sunday the technology companies must "stop supporting"
   their Russian products, asserting the company's Russian pullbacks
   were "`half' decisions.'"

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War censorship exposes Putin's leaky internet controls
https://news.yahoo.com/war-censorship-exposes-putins-leaky-211745727.html

  ...
  
  Yet the Kremlin's latest censorship efforts have revealed serious
  shortcomings in the government's bigger plans to straightjacket the
  internet. Any Russian with a modicum of tech smarts can circumvent
  Kremlin efforts to starve Russians of fact.
  
  For instance, the government has so far had only limited success
  blocking the use of software known as virtual private networks, or
  VPNs, that allows users to evade content restrictions. The same goes
  for Putin’s attempts to restrict the use of other censorship-evading
  software.
  
  That puts providers of internet bandwidth and associated services
  sympathetic to Ukraine's plight in a tough spot. On one side, they
  face public pressure to punish the Russian state and economic reasons
  to limit services at a time when bills might well go unpaid. On the
  other, they're wary of helping stifle a free flow of information that
  can counter Kremlin disinformation - for instance, the state's claim
  that Russia's military is heroically "liberating" Ukraine from
  fascists.