Netflix has officially suspended its services in Russia as part of the protests against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began this February. Along with this pull-out, the streaming service will also put all projects and acquisitions it had lined up in Russia. The suspension of Netflix’s service in Russia is the latest amidst several sanctions and the shutdown of several business operations in the country as its forces continue to invade and capture Ukrainian territories. Announcing the suspension, a spokesperson for Netflix stated:
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia.”
Netflix is relatively new in the country, having launched in 2016. The streaming service company didn’t have much of a presence in Russia, with only approximately one million subscribers coming from the nation, added to its 200M+ subscriber base globally. However, Netflix had planned four originals to be produced in Russia for eventual release on the streaming service. It also had an extensive database of Russian films available to stream on the platform. Furthermore, Netflix will also stop airing twenty propaganda channels on its platform that it was required to under Russian law. These were free-to-air channels that every service provider must put on air per the Russian law, and so Netflix had to carry them under its joint venture deal with the Russian National Media Group.
Netflix’s Winter on Fire Is Serving As Support for Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met by criticism and protests across the world, even among the people of Russia as well. The country had waged war in Ukraine for a long time when the former invaded the Crimean Peninsula and annexed it from Ukraine.
The events leading to that invasion and the backdrop of the ongoing war have been a subject of the Netflix documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom. The non-fiction Netflix documentary film focuses on protests in Ukraine against former President Viktor Yanukovych’s denial to join the European Union and instead join hands with Russia. Ukraine eventually overthrew and ousted Yanukovych, leading Putin to invade Crimea. Netflix has recently announced that it will make the 2015 documentary available to stream and watch for free. Before the cancellation and suspension of services, the documentary was also available for streaming in Russia.
The United States and many other countries are continuing to force economic setbacks for Russia through extensive sanctions and suspension of business and sales activities. While all major studios, starting with Disney, have already barred all their films from being released in Russia, companies like Microsoft, Dell, and Apple have also pulled out of the country.
These sanctions are supposed to put Russia in an economically tricky position, affecting ordinary people’s households and the nation’s stability to continue the war. Besides these sanctions, the United Nations General Assembly has voted against the invasion and has supported immediate pull out of Russian forces from Ukraine’s borders. The UNGA voted 141 to 5 in favor of Ukraine, with thirty-five nations abstaining from the voting. However, Russia is continuing to attack Ukrainian cities, causing worldwide humanitarian crises and the displacement of millions of Ukrainian nationals.