April 15, 2022

Huawei Slinks Out


Huawei Slinks Out
Huawei's headquarters building, Shenzhen, China. Brücke-Osteuropa, Wikimedia Commons

In the midst of heavy sanctions and economic turmoil as a result of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Russia is now facing the loss of another major company: Chinese telecoms company Huawei.

The company announced this week that it will be canceling all outstanding orders and furloughing all its staff in Russia. Huawei reportedly accounts for some 33% of networking products and equipment in Russia.

This move comes after China was threatened with punishment from the West for its aid to Russia during this period. While sanctions from the US and EU have cut off supplies of everyday goods from car parts to dental chemicals to jet fuel, and Western franchises such as KFC and McDonald's have left Russia for the time being, China was seen as an autocrat-friendly alternative where Russians could source what they'd lost (albeit of lesser quality).

Now, with the loss of Huawei, perhaps one of Russia's last close trade partners is rethinking its priorities, further isolating Russia on the global stage.

You Might Also Like

Is This the Plan?
  • April 07, 2022

Is This the Plan?

Putin says things are going according to plan in Ukraine. What if he's right?
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955