Netflix on Sunday reported that the video-streaming giant will be suspending its services in Russia, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In a comment to CNBC, a spokesperson from Netflix said:
Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia.
Netflix also reported that it refused to comply with the country’s Vitirina TV law. The law requires companies with over 100,000 subscribers to carry 20 free state channels. These channels include Channel One, NTV, and Spa. The company also remarked that it had no plans of carrying the channels given the current situation.
With only 1 million subscribers in Russia, Netflix has a very small consumer base in the country.
Netflix has also halted future projects that were previously planned in Russia, with four original productions including Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.