As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, a growing number of companies have said they are stopping sales of products and services in Russia. This …
As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, a growing number of companies have said they are stopping sales of products and services in Russia. This will make items, including video games, iPhones and the PS5, harder to get in Russia. Companies have also responded in other ways, including cracking down on misinformation and reducing the online presence of Russian state-owned media outlets like RT News and Sputnik News. Google and Twitter have suspended advertising in Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb.24 after months of growing tension. The US, EU and UK have all imposed economic sanctions on Russia, including ones aimed directly at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union for much of the 20th century, declared its independence in 1991. Since then, the country has been establishing closer ties with Western Europe and the US. Here’s a look at tech, entertainment and finance companies that have stopped sales or other services in Russia: Adobe: The maker of Photoshop and other software stopped all new sales and services in Russia, including its software for creative pros and its website analytics tools, citing “our civic and moral responsibility to support democracy and humanity ” and government sanctions. In addition, the company cut off access to its cloud services for Russia’s government-controlled media outlets. Airbnb: The room-rental service has suspended all operations in Russia and Belarus and has said its nonprofit subsidiary will offer free temporary housing to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. It’s also waived host and guest fees for bookings in Ukraine, as people worldwide use Airbnb as a way to provide income directly to Ukrainians by, as The Guardian put it, ” paying but not staying.” Amazon: The online giant suspended shipments of all retail products to customers in Russia and Belarus, and suspended access to Prime Video for users in Russia. Apple: The tech giant stopped selling its products in Russia and is halting online transactions, including limiting Apple Pay in the country. Additionally, it has disabled some Apple Maps features in Ukraine to protect civilians. AWS: Though AWS doesn’t have data centers or offices in Russia, it’s stopped allowing new sign-ups for the service in Russia and Belarus, saying it’ll suspend accounts where customers are “using AWS services to threaten, incite, promote or actively encourage violence, terrorism or other serious harm.” Customers using AWS in Russia include companies that are headquartered elsewhere but have development teams in Russia. BMW, Ford, GM, Honda: Several automakers have scaled back their operations in Russia. BMW will stop local production in Kaliningrad and halt exports to Russia. Ford is suspending its operations in Russia “effective immediately, until further notice.” GM is suspending business in Russia. Honda has suspended exports there. Bumble: The dating app is discontinuing operations in Russia and removing its apps from the App Store and Google Play Store in Russia and Belarus. Disney: The entertainment company has halted all theatrical releases in Russia, including new Pixar film Turning Red. It has also paused content and product licensing, channels, local productions, National Geographic magazine and tours, and Disney Cruise Line activities. Electronic Arts: The maker of popular video games, including the FIFA franchise, has stopped selling all content in Russia and Belarus. This includes games, add-on content and virtual currency. Additionally, EA has removed Russian national teams from all versions of its soccer and hockey video games. EA has also made Russian and Belarusian players ineligible for its esports programs, including Apex Legends and FIFA 22. Epic Games: The maker of Fortnite said it will stop commerce with Russia in its games but wasn’t blocking access to games “for the same reason other communication tools remain online: the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.
