Netflix and TikTok suspended most of their services in Russia on Sunday as the government cracks down on what people and media outlets can say about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
"In light of Russia's new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law," TikTok said in a statement. "Our in-app messaging service will not be affected."
After announcing it would pause all future productions in Russia, Netflix took their protest of the country's invasion of Ukraine a step further.
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson for Netflix told Variety.
The publication reports that Netflix is still relatively new in Russia, launching in 2016. The service reportedly has 1 million subscribers in the country.
Pulling the plug on online entertainment — and information — is likely to further isolate the country and its people.
A growing number of multinational businesses have cut off Russia from vital financial services, technology and a variety of consumer products in response to Western economic sanctions and global outrage over the invasion of Ukraine.
