diff --git a/.github/workflows/r_package.yml b/.github/workflows/r_package.yml
index c72ec7fae112..3bcbf7ea4f79 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/r_package.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/r_package.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ concurrency:
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 env:
+  # https://github.com/actions/checkout/issues/1590#issuecomment-2207052044
+  #
+  # this could be removed (hopefully) when R 3.6 support is removed
+  ACTIONS_ALLOW_USE_UNSECURE_NODE_VERSION: true
   CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL: 4
   # hack to get around this:
   # https://stat.ethz.ch/pipermail/r-package-devel/2020q3/005930.html
diff --git a/.vsts-ci.yml b/.vsts-ci.yml
index 169b04fffe13..4c0f80eb8c02 100644
--- a/.vsts-ci.yml
+++ b/.vsts-ci.yml
@@ -182,71 +182,71 @@ jobs:
     inputs:
       filePath: $(Build.SourcesDirectory)/.ci/test.sh
       targetType: 'filePath'
-###########################################
-- job: QEMU_multiarch
-###########################################
-  variables:
-    BUILD_DIRECTORY: /LightGBM
-    COMPILER: gcc
-    PRODUCES_ARTIFACTS: 'true'
-  pool:
-    vmImage: ubuntu-22.04
-  timeoutInMinutes: 180
-  strategy:
-    matrix:
-      bdist:
-        TASK: bdist
-        ARCH: aarch64
-  steps:
-  - script: |
-      sudo apt-get update
-      sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends -y \
-        binfmt-support \
-        qemu \
-        qemu-user \
-        qemu-user-static
-    displayName: 'Install QEMU'
-  - script: |
-      docker run --rm --privileged multiarch/qemu-user-static --reset -p yes
-    displayName: 'Enable Docker multi-architecture support'
-  - script: |
-      git clean -d -f -x
-    displayName: 'Clean source directory'
-  - script: |
-      cat > docker-script.sh <<EOF
-      export CONDA=\$HOME/miniforge
-      export PATH=\$CONDA/bin:/opt/rh/llvm-toolset-7.0/root/usr/bin:\$PATH
-      export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/rh/llvm-toolset-7.0/root/usr/lib64:\$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
-      \$BUILD_DIRECTORY/.ci/setup.sh || exit 1
-      \$BUILD_DIRECTORY/.ci/test.sh || exit 1
-      EOF
-      IMAGE_URI="lightgbm/vsts-agent:manylinux2014_aarch64"
-      docker pull "${IMAGE_URI}" || exit 1
-      PLATFORM=$(docker inspect --format='{{.Os}}/{{.Architecture}}' "${IMAGE_URI}") || exit 1
-      echo "detected image platform: ${PLATFORM}"
-      docker run \
-        --platform "${PLATFORM}" \
-        --rm \
-        --env AZURE=true \
-        --env BUILD_ARTIFACTSTAGINGDIRECTORY=$BUILD_ARTIFACTSTAGINGDIRECTORY \
-        --env BUILD_DIRECTORY=$BUILD_DIRECTORY \
-        --env COMPILER=$COMPILER \
-        --env METHOD=$METHOD \
-        --env OS_NAME=linux \
-        --env PRODUCES_ARTIFACTS=$PRODUCES_ARTIFACTS \
-        --env PYTHON_VERSION=$PYTHON_VERSION \
-        --env TASK=$TASK \
-        -v "$(Build.SourcesDirectory)":"$BUILD_DIRECTORY" \
-        -v "$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)":"$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)" \
-        "${IMAGE_URI}" \
-        /bin/bash $BUILD_DIRECTORY/docker-script.sh
-    displayName: 'Setup and run tests'
-  - task: PublishBuildArtifacts@1
-    condition: and(succeeded(), in(variables['TASK'], 'bdist'), not(startsWith(variables['Build.SourceBranch'], 'refs/pull/')))
-    inputs:
-      pathtoPublish: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)'
-      artifactName: PackageAssets
-      artifactType: container
+# ###########################################
+# - job: QEMU_multiarch
+# ###########################################
+#   variables:
+#     BUILD_DIRECTORY: /LightGBM
+#     COMPILER: gcc
+#     PRODUCES_ARTIFACTS: 'true'
+#   pool:
+#     vmImage: ubuntu-22.04
+#   timeoutInMinutes: 180
+#   strategy:
+#     matrix:
+#       bdist:
+#         TASK: bdist
+#         ARCH: aarch64
+#   steps:
+#   - script: |
+#       sudo apt-get update
+#       sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends -y \
+#         binfmt-support \
+#         qemu \
+#         qemu-user \
+#         qemu-user-static
+#     displayName: 'Install QEMU'
+#   - script: |
+#       docker run --rm --privileged multiarch/qemu-user-static --reset -p yes
+#     displayName: 'Enable Docker multi-architecture support'
+#   - script: |
+#       git clean -d -f -x
+#     displayName: 'Clean source directory'
+#   - script: |
+#       cat > docker-script.sh <<EOF
+#       export CONDA=\$HOME/miniforge
+#       export PATH=\$CONDA/bin:/opt/rh/llvm-toolset-7.0/root/usr/bin:\$PATH
+#       export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/rh/llvm-toolset-7.0/root/usr/lib64:\$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
+#       \$BUILD_DIRECTORY/.ci/setup.sh || exit 1
+#       \$BUILD_DIRECTORY/.ci/test.sh || exit 1
+#       EOF
+#       IMAGE_URI="lightgbm/vsts-agent:manylinux2014_aarch64"
+#       docker pull "${IMAGE_URI}" || exit 1
+#       PLATFORM=$(docker inspect --format='{{.Os}}/{{.Architecture}}' "${IMAGE_URI}") || exit 1
+#       echo "detected image platform: ${PLATFORM}"
+#       docker run \
+#         --platform "${PLATFORM}" \
+#         --rm \
+#         --env AZURE=true \
+#         --env BUILD_ARTIFACTSTAGINGDIRECTORY=$BUILD_ARTIFACTSTAGINGDIRECTORY \
+#         --env BUILD_DIRECTORY=$BUILD_DIRECTORY \
+#         --env COMPILER=$COMPILER \
+#         --env METHOD=$METHOD \
+#         --env OS_NAME=linux \
+#         --env PRODUCES_ARTIFACTS=$PRODUCES_ARTIFACTS \
+#         --env PYTHON_VERSION=$PYTHON_VERSION \
+#         --env TASK=$TASK \
+#         -v "$(Build.SourcesDirectory)":"$BUILD_DIRECTORY" \
+#         -v "$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)":"$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)" \
+#         "${IMAGE_URI}" \
+#         /bin/bash $BUILD_DIRECTORY/docker-script.sh
+#     displayName: 'Setup and run tests'
+#   - task: PublishBuildArtifacts@1
+#     condition: and(succeeded(), in(variables['TASK'], 'bdist'), not(startsWith(variables['Build.SourceBranch'], 'refs/pull/')))
+#     inputs:
+#       pathtoPublish: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)'
+#       artifactName: PackageAssets
+#       artifactType: container
 ###########################################
 - job: macOS
 ###########################################
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ jobs:
   dependsOn:
   - Linux
   - Linux_latest
-  - QEMU_multiarch
+  # - QEMU_multiarch
   - macOS
   - Windows
   - R_artifact