From social media giants to video game publishers, a growing number of tech companies are shutting down business with Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Here’s an overview of what the major tech companies have announced so far. The list is growing and will be updated regularly.
Microsoft
Microsoft said on Friday he was suspending all sales of his products and services in Russia due to what he called the country’s “unjustified, unprovoked and illegal invasion” of Ukraine. The software giant also promised to help protect Ukraine from Russian cyberattacks.
Earlier in the weekMicrosoft has said it will not display any content from state-backed Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik, that it will downgrade their Bing search results and stop all advertising deals with them.
PayPal
The online payment company closed its services in Russia on Saturday after it stopped accepting new users in Russia earlier in the week.
A company spokesperson told Euronews Next that PayPal will continue to process customer funds “for a specified period of time, ensuring account balances are distributed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.” The company did not give specific dates.
EA and Activision Blizzard
Both video game companies have announced that they will no longer sell their games and content in Russia.
For Electronic Arts (EA), which owns the FIFA franchise, this includes games, additional content, and virtual currency packs.which will also no longer be available in Belarus.
an Apple
Apple has suspended all sales of its physical products in Russia, restricted Russians’ access to digital services including Apple Pay, and blocked RT News and Sputnik from its App Store outside of Russia.
In Ukraine, the company also turned off traffic and real-time events features on its Apple Maps “as a security and precautionary measure for the citizens of Ukraine” amid concerns that Russia could be targeting specific locations with these tools.
The Alphabet-owned company banned Russian state media from advertising on its platforms, blocked mobile apps connected to RT and Sputnik media from its Play Store, removed publishers from Google News, and banned them from YouTube across Europe.
Like Apple, the company has disabled some real traffic and incident features from Google Maps in Ukraine. Its country search and map tools now also point to United Nations resources for refugees and asylum seekers.
In Russia, most of its services, such as Search, Maps and YouTube, remain available, “continuing to provide access to global information and perspectives” to people there. Google said.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
On Monday, Meta announced that Facebook pages and Instagram accounts owned by RT and Sputnik will no longer be available in the European Union.
On Friday, Russia’s national telecommunications regulator hit back by blocking access to Facebook in the country in response to what it called “discrimination” against Russian state media.
Twitter also removed RT and Sputnik accounts in Europe, in line with an EU ban on Kremlin-backed news outlets that went into effect on Wednesday.
These two Twitter accounts are now unavailable in the block’s 27 member countries.
Instead, a message appears stating that “account has been blocked.” The EU accused both state media of spreading malicious disinformation through social networks.
tik tak
A Chinese-owned video app is suspending new video uploads and live streaming in Russia, citing concerns about the situation in the country. new law to combat so-called “fake news”.
Like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, TikTok has also blocked access to RT and Sputnik in the EU.
Snapchat
Snap, Snapchat’s parent company, has stopped showing all ads in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine and said it no longer receives revenue from Russian state-owned companies.
The company also promised Ukraine $15 million in humanitarian aid.
“We are in solidarity with the members of our Ukrainian team and the people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and for their freedom,” the message says. said in a statement.
Booking and Airbnb
An online travel agency and rental firm has ceased operations in Russia.
Airbnb is now also waiving guest and host fees on all bookings in Ukraine, and thousands of people not planning to visit are using the platform to send money to beleaguered locals along with messages of support.
Netflix
Netflix has reportedly shut down its service in Russia.
According to varietythe streaming service earlier this week suspended all future Russian projects and acquisitions, and four original series were suspended indefinitely.
Netflix could not be contacted for comment.
Spotify
The audio streaming giant has closed its Russian office indefinitely and removed all content from Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik in what it called “Moscow’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.”
Nokia
The Finnish network equipment maker said on Tuesday it would stop deliveries to Russia in line with sanctions imposed on the country. Nokia usually supplies MTS, Vimpelcom, Megafon and Tele2 to Russia.
“We consider the safety of our employees to be of paramount importance,” a Nokia spokesman told Euronews Next.
“We have a production facility in Ukraine in the west of the country, also very close to the Hungarian border. We are actively monitoring the situation and we already have contingency plans in place that can be used if needed.”
Ericsson
The Swedish telecommunications giant has also decided to suspend all deliveries to customers in Russia while it looks into the situation in Ukraine.
“We are deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine and are closely following developments. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our people there. We are also in constant contact with our clients to ensure operational contingencies in this very dynamic situation,” a spokesman told Euronews Next.
Oracle
On Wednesday, business software giant Oracle tweeted that it had “already suspended all operations” in Russia after Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Fedorov urged the company to stop doing business in Russia “until the conflict is resolved.”
GLANDERS
Oracle’s German competitor, SAP, also announced that it would stop selling all its products and services in Russia.
“Like the rest of the world, we are watching the war in Ukraine with horror and we condemn the invasion in the strongest possible terms,” the company said in a statement. said in a blog post on Wednesday.