Major companies are pulling their services and halting product sales in Russia-Zamkuwire

Major companies are pulling their services and halting product sales in Russia in the wake of the country’s invasion into Ukraine.

A growing chorus of Western companies are openly condemning Russian actions, including Apple, Google, Netflix and Ikea among many others.

Here are some of the big the companies which have banned product sales and reduced services in Russia so far.

• Tech companies/banks

Apple

US tech giant Apple is stopping sales of iPhones and other products in Russia, it has also limited Apple Pay – which has led to huge queues on the metro system.

RT News and Sputnik News (two state-backed news services) can no longer be downloaded from the App Store outside of Russia and Apple has made changes to its Map app to protect civilians in Ukraine – it has disabled both traffic and live incidents.

In a statement Apple said: “We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence. We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.”

Google

Google said it had removed Russian state-funded publishers such as RT from its news-related features, including the Google News search tool.

The tech company has also banned RT and other Russian channels from receiving money for ads on websites, apps and YouTube videos.

Google Pay has been limited in Russia and Google Maps has disabled live traffic data in Ukraine so you cannot see how busy a place is.

The app has also launched an SOS alert on search in Ukraine – when people search for refugee and evacuation information, they will see an alert pointing them to United Nations resources for refugees and asylum seekers.

PayPal

PayPal has shut down its services in Russia, citing “the current circumstances” in Russia.

President and Chief Executive Dan Schulman said in a statement. He added that the company “stands with the international community in condemning Russia’s violent military aggression in Ukraine.”

A company spokesperson said PayPal will support withdrawals “for a period of time, ensuring that account balances are dispersed in line with applicable laws and regulations.”

Mastercard and Visa

Mastercard and Visa announced on Saturday 5 March they would be suspending their operations in Russia.

Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network and any card issued outside the country will not work at Russian stores or cash machines.

Visa said it’s working with clients and partners in Russia to cease all Visa transactions over the coming days.

Microsoft

Microsoft said it had suspended all sales of its products and services to Russia.

They also said they would work with the US, UK and EU to stop any aspects of their business that would breach any sanctions.

President and Vice Chairman of Microsoft Brad Smith said the biggest way the company could contribute to the war was assisting with Ukraine’s cybersecurity.

He said since the war began Microsoft had prevented 20 cyberattacks against Ukrainian cyber systems.

Oracle

American tech company Oracle said it had suspended all operations in Russia – the announcement came just three hours after Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation called on it to stop doing business in Russia.

• Streaming services/gaming companies

Netflix

Netflix said it has no plans to add state-run channels in Russia, despite a regulation that would require the streaming service to distribute state-backed channels.

“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However the decision is in defiance of a new Russian law which would have applied to Netflix as of March 1, which requires media platforms that reach more than 100,000 subscribers in Russia to distribute free-to air Russian news and entertainment TV channels.

The regulations are overseen by Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor.

Spotify

The streaming service Spotify has closed its office in Moscow and removed and restricted content that is operated or backed by Russian state media.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” the company said in a statement.

“Our team has reviewed thousands of pieces of content since the start of the war, and has restricted the discoverability of shows owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media,” it read.

“Earlier this week, we also took the additional step of removing all RT and Sputnik content from Spotify in the EU and other markets.”

EA

Video game maker Electronic Arts Inc said is removing the Russian national team and all Russian football clubs from its popular video game FIFA 22.

The company said it would also remove Russian team from NHL 22 – its game title based on the National Hockey League.

EA’s move comes days after FIFA suspended Russia’s national teams and clubs from international football and the NHL said it would no longer consider the country when looking at locations for any future NHL competitions.

• Social media

Facebook

Meta Platforms, parent company of Facebook, will restrict access to Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik on its platforms across the European Union.

It is also demoting content from Russian state-controlled media outlets’ Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, as well as posts containing links to those outlets on Facebook.

Meta’s Nick Clegg told reporters during a conference call that the company had seen a “definitely discernable” degradation of its services in Russia since authorities there announced they would restrict Meta’s platforms.

Russia has partially limited Facebook and Instagram after it called for the lifting of restrictions on four Russian media outlets, but Meta refused.

• Retailers

IKEA

Flat-pack furniture giant Ikea has temporarily closed all retail and manufacturing operations in Russia and Belarus in a move impacting around 15,000 workers.

Nike

Nike has made online sales unavailable in Russia, instead the sportswear giant is directing customers to their nearest Nike stores.

H&M

The clothing retailer said it has paused all sales in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

H&M said it “is deeply concerned about the tragic developments in Ukraine”- and that the situation is being “continuously monitored and evaluated”.

The company had already temporarily closed stores in Ukraine over fears for the safety of customers and staff.

• JD Sports

JD Sports have also announced plans to withdraw from Russia – even though the business only makes 0.05% of its sales in the country through its website and wholesale partners.It also has no sites or employees in either Russia or Ukraine, but said in a statement that everyone at the company is “shocked and deeply concerned” by the invasion.

“The conflict in Ukraine continues to generate grave concern and we look forward to reconciliation and the return to peace within the region,” the statement added.

• John Lewis

John Lewis will no longer sell a line of pizza oven pellets which it sources from Russia.

The John Lewis Partnership, which includes Waitrose, added: “We’re working with our suppliers to review products that have components of Russian origin and will be seeking to mitigate further exposure to the region.”

Waitrose had earlier said that it will remove a type of Russian vodka from its shelves as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

• Sports Direct

The sports store has also pulled out of Russia, with a statement saying that “we have stopped processing orders until further notice”.

It says this is because of the “unforeseen situation in Ukraine”.

• Car manufacturers

Mercedes-Benz

Germany luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said it would suspend the export of passenger cars and vans to Russia, as well as local manufacturing in the country.

Ford

Ford has suspended operations in Russia until further notice.

BMW

The German carmaker BMW has halted the exports of cars to Russia and would stop production on the ground in the country.

“Due to the current geopolitical situation, we are discontinuing our local production in Russia and export to the Russian market,” BMW said in a statement.

• Hospitality

Airbnb

The short-lettings company announced it would be suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.

Alisher Usmanov, the Russian billionaire who was issued with sanctions by the UK government on Thursday, was a major investor in the company.

• Phone companies

Nokia

Nokia has stopped deliveries to Russia to comply with sanctions imposed on the country following the invasion of Ukraine.

“This is a complex situation which is evolving rapidly and we continue to assess it”, the company, which supplies MTS, Vimpelcom, Megafon and Tele2 in Russia, told Reuters.

Samsung

Samsung Electronics said shipments to Russia have been suspended “due to current geopolitical developments.”

“We continue to actively monitor this complex situation to determine our next steps,” the company said in a statement.

• Entertainment

Disney, Warner Bros, and Sony Pictures Entertainment said they would pause theatrical releases of upcoming films in Russia.

The announcement means the upcoming release of Turning Red, The Batman and Morbius will not go ahead as scheduled.

“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” Disney said in a statement. “In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance.”