Russia freezing out Ukrainian civilians because it can't beat military, says Microsoft's Brad Smith

Russia freezing out Ukrainian civilians because it can't beat military, says Microsoft's Brad Smith

What's Russia doing differently now in Ukraine compared to a few months ago?

Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith thinks the Russians have clearly failed to defeat Ukrainian soldiers, so they've turned to using their weapons against the civilian population and knocking out their power.

"It's as if they're hoping to freeze out 40 million people and force them to flee," he says during a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft.


Meanwhile, cyberattacks are spreading beyond Ukraine's borders to countries like Poland. Still, Smith says the $423 million in aid his company has provided has helped Ukraine hold the line.

What's more troubling, he adds, is that Russia is doing the opposite of what the international community set out to do with the Geneva Convention: fight wars with military force and protect civilians.

Watch the full Global Stage livestream conversation on "The Road to 2030: Getting Global Goals Back on Track."

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