Netflix shuts down its services in Russia

Netflix is suspending its services in Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine, as first reported by Variety.

“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” Netflix spokesperson Emily Feingold said in a statement to The Verge.

Last week, Netflix said it wouldn’t comply with a new Russian law that requires large streamers to host 20 Russian propaganda channels, such as NTV and the state-backed Channel One. The streaming giant later announced that it’s halting all productions and acquisitions in Russia — Netflix had been working on four Russian originals at the time. According to Bloomberg, Netflix currently has around 1 million subscribers in Russia.

Netflix is far from the only major company to cut ties with Russia. Other behemoths in the film industry, including Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, and Sony have all delayed releasing their new films, like The Batman, Turning Red, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, in Russian theaters.

Just this afternoon, TikTok began halting all new video uploads and livestreams in Russia in response to the country’s newly-introduced “fake news” law. Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Samsung have also suspended sales to the country, just to name a few.