Netflix has suspended service in Russia just days after it said it would pause all projects and acquisitions in the country, the company said Sunday.
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a Netflix spokesperson told Variety.
Russia is a relatively small market for the streaming giant and the company has about a million subscribers there. However, it’s the latest entertainment giant to limit its operations over the Kremlin’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine. Other major entertainment companies, including Disney, Sony, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., have halted the release of new films in Russia, like “The Batman,” “Turning Red” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”
Netflix’s move comes shortly after the company said it would immediately “pause” its Russian television and film productions and that it would refuse to abide by laws that may have forced the company to carry 20 Russian propaganda channels.
TikTok also said it would ban all live-streaming and content creation in the country over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s new law that criminalizes whatever he deems “fake news.”
Other tech giants, including Microsoft, Apple and Google, have suspended sales in Russia, which has drawn international ire over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The White House and European Union have also imposed fierce sanctions on the country, as well as Putin and his allies, in an attempt to punish the Kremlin for its military action.
