Streaming company Netflix announced they are suspending their service in Russia, citing the country’s invasion of Ukraine as the reason. Netflix launched their streaming service in Russia less than a year ago and had accumulated less than a million subscribers. They join a wide list of companies who have ceased their business with Russia. Movie studios have paused the release of upcoming movies in Russia, including Warner Bros' The Batman, Sony's Morbius and Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Deadline reported that Netflix is suspending service in Russia due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Netflix has not provided details on how they will handle billing issues and refunds for their existing customers. Netflix also halted production on one in-progress Russian original, the neo-noir detective drama called Zato. Per Deadline, two other projects commissioned from Russia have already wrapped production but their releases have not been determined yet. One is Anna K, a retelling of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, which would be Netflix’s first Russian original.
The news of Netflix comes after a string of sanctions and boycotts from countries and companies alike, while others have aided the cause by providing direct support to Ukraine. The Pokemon Company recently donated $200,00 for the relief aid, while CD Projekt Red, developer of The Witcher games and Cyberpunk 2077 ceased all sales of existing games in Russia. It's unclear what, if any effect, these decisions like Netflix suspending their service will have on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Deadline