Image: Netflix
Netflix has announced that it will be halting its services in Russia following the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Netflix is suspending its services in Russia amid the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The streaming service previously refused to broadcast 20 Russian propaganda channels at the behest of Russian law, and shelved several Russian projects it had in development indefinitely. The company is now suspending all its services in the country entirely.
According to Variety, a Netflix spokesperson said, “Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia.” The company previously had four original projects in development from Russia, including one that was in the midst of shooting before the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The company reportedly has one million subscribers in Russia, all of whom will lose access to the streaming service.
Netflix is only the latest media company to pull out of Russia over the past two weeks. Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, CD Projekt and Electronic Arts have announced that they’re suspending gaming sales in the country. Apple, Google, Samsung, Dell, Nike and Ikea have either closed their outlets or halted sales in Russia completely.
Several motion picture studios recently pulled their movies out of Russia as well, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Disney, Sony and Paramount Pictures. This means that movies like The Batman, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Turning Red have been postponed indefinitely from a release in Russia. TikTok has also put a stop to all new videos and livestreams in Russia due to the country’s recent ‘fake news’ law.