Several international companies have risen against Russia.
Since Russia launched an offensive war in Ukraine, companies around the world have withdrawn their operations from Russia. In addition, many giant companies have stopped selling their products and services in the country.
Companies with a technological background that have closed down in Russia have been gathered below.
Adobe – Software developer suspended product sales and services.
Airbnb – The accommodation service suspended operations in Russia and Belarus.
Amazon – Product deliveries and Prime Video suspended.
Apple – Product sales and Apple Pay suspended.
Car manufacturers – BMW, Ford, GM and Honda have frozen their operations.
AWS – Amazon Web Services blocked new logins in Russia and Belarus.
Bumble – The giant dating app removed its app from the App Store and Google Play in Russia and Belarus.
Disney – Distribution of new films, licensing, channels, local production and National Geographic suspended.
Electronic Arts – Product sales suspended. Russian national teams eliminated from FIFA and NHL games.
Epic Games – In-game trading suspended. Games are not blocked because they are seen as an important channel of communication.
Ericsson – The Swedish telecom giant froze deliveries and trading. Workers in Russia were transferred to paid leave.
Fujitsu – The Japanese technology company discontinued all new orders and deliveries of products and services.
Google – The search engine is still running, but all advertising activity has been suspended. Some features of the Maps service are restricted, mobile payments are restricted, and content is removed from the services.
IBM – The computer manufacturer has suspended operations in Russia.
Intel – The world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer cut off deliveries and business.
LG – Deliveries suspended.
Transport and courier companies – UPS, FedEX and DHL suspended deliveries and operations in Russia and Belarus.
Microsoft – Product sales suspended.
Netflix – Projects and procurement frozen in Russia.
Nintendo – Japanese giant eShop toy store set for service in Russia.
Nokia – Deliveries pulled down and new business suspended. Some functions will be continued to ensure the flow of information.
Nvidia – Video giant suspended product sales.
Paramount – The film studio suspended distribution and licensing agreements.
PayPal – The payment system provider suspended the services.
Stake – Pelistudio removed its game from app stores in Russia and Belarus.
Samsung – Equipment deliveries suspended.
Slack – Instant messaging service blocked Russian organizations from logging into accounts.
Snapchat – Ad Sales Suspended
Sony – The company’s film production has been suspended. Delivery of Playstation 5 console and other devices suspended.
Spotify – Use of music service blocked in Russia.
Supercell – Pelistudio removed its game from app stores in Russia and Belarus.
Tiktok – Live videos and new content banned in Russia.
Twitch – The game streaming service stopped paying compensation to Russian broadcasters.
Ubisoft – Product sales suspended.
Universal – The movie studio suspended distribution.
Warner Bros. – New Batman movie, not released in Russia.
Consumer pressure as a driver
Although many giants have withdrawn from Russia, some companies have continued to operate in the country or have been slow in this regard. These companies have faced fierce criticism, pressure and boycott, which has eventually led them to turn their backs.
This has happened, for example, to Nestlé, to which the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi appealed directly in March. The Swiss company ended up pulling its products out of Russia a couple of days after that.
– We have stopped non-essential imports and exports to and from Russia, stopped all advertising and all capital investment in the country. We will, of course, fully comply with all the international sanctions imposed on Russia, Nestlé pages is told.
In early April, the United States imposed sanctions on Russia banning American investment in Russia. In addition, the United States and the EU have just reached an agreement on tightening sanctions on Russia.
Professor at Yale University Jeffrey Sonnenfeld told the Washington Post in early April that more than 600 international companies have announced that they have ceased or intend to cease operations in Russia voluntarily. At the same time, 155 companies have opposed demands to close down or downsize, and 96 companies are trying to buy time to stay afloat.
Sources: Cnet, New York Times, Washington Post