Netflix, the world’s largest streaming service, has chosen to stop its operations in Russia, citing worldwide concern over Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a Netflix spokesperson told POLITICO.
In practice, this means that from Monday, March 7, customers in Russia will no longer be able to sign up for new subscriptions, and current Russian members will only have access to their accounts until the end of their current monthly cycle. After this period, Russian users’ accounts will be temporarily suspended until the situation in Ukraine improves, at which point Netflix may consider resuming service in Russia.
As President Vladimir Putin’s army increases its deadly invasion and assault on Ukraine, Netflix has made a series of slow withdrawals from the Russian market.
Last Monday, the business decided to put all of its Russian TV and film productions on hold for the time being. The corporation also stated that it will refuse to comply with Russian rules requiring audiovisual outlets to transmit at least 20 state-sponsored channels.
Previously, there had been worries that the Kremlin might utilize the US streaming service as a platform for the transmission of official propaganda as part of the conflict in Ukraine’s struggle for the airwaves.