Security News > 2022 > June > Windows 10 and Windows 11 downloads blocked in Russia
People in Russia can no longer download Windows 10 and Windows 11 ISOs and installation tools from Microsoft, with no reason for the block provided by the company.
Using a VPN server located in Russia, BleepingComputer has confirmed that attempting to download the Windows 10 Update Assistant, the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, and the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, Russian users are shown a message stating, "404 - File or Directory not found."
When attempting to download Windows 10 and Windows 11 ISOs, users are shown an error stating, "There was a problem with your request," as shown below.
Strangely, it is still possible to download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool but running it ultimately generates a 0x80072F8F-0x20000 error, saying, "For some unknown reason, this tool failed to run on your computer."
Multiple people physically located in Russia have also confirmed with BleepingComputer that they cannot download Windows media.
The company has continued to state that they would continue their contractual obligations with Russian customers, making the blocking of Windows installation media unexpected.
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