Netflix have said that they made this decision in light of the ongoing “humanitarian crisis” with Ukraine. They added that they reportedly took the decision whilst continuing to monitor the situation with Russian and Ukraine.
This comes that they had previously announced that they had "no plans" to carry 20 free-to-air channels in Russia, something they may be required to do under Russian law.
Netflix's decision to close down Russian projects comes as Spotify announced the removal of all Russia-based content, along with the removal of all Kremlin-backed material. This specifically relates to media outlets Sputnik and RT news.
“We think it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information", a Spotify spokesperson said.
“Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an important source of global and regional news at a time when access to information is more important than ever", they added. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine".
Spotify have also promised to match employee donations to humanitarian efforts supporting Ukraine.
They also follow outlets like Apple, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros and Universal Pictures and halting Russian projects.
