Microsoft extends free tech support for Ukraine through 2023

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it would extend technology support for Ukraine free of charge through 2023, as Russia's invasion of the country drags on.

Microsoft said it would provide additional technology aid of nearly $100 million, bringing its total support for Ukraine to more than $400 million since the crisis started in February.

The company's support "will ensure that government agencies, critical infrastructure and other sectors in Ukraine can continue to run their digital infrastructure and serve citizens through the Microsoft Cloud," Microsoft Corp President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post.

Ukraine has also been the target of numerous cyberattacks by Russia since the start of the conflict in late February, according to western security researchers and senior government officials.

A number of companies across Europe and North America have mobilized in offering aid to Ukrainian authorities and people.

Earlier in June, Microsoft also said it was making substantial cuts to its business in Russia, joining a list of companies that had reduced their exposure or pulled out of the country in response to the invasion.

Russian forces swept into Ukraine in February in what Moscow calls a "special military operation" to eliminate dangerous nationalists and protect Russian-speakers. Kyiv calls Moscow's military action an unprovoked imperialist land grab.

(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)