Russian Users Cannot Access Netflix without VPN

Netflix announced, on Friday, that it had suspended the Russian user accounts without a VPN amid Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Last March, the giant streamer halted its service in Russia and stopped production on all its upcoming Russian-language series in production and post-production, and paused future acquisitions from Moscow amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson said.

Netflix also declined to comply with Russian rules to carry news channels.

The company had just under 1 million subscribers in Russia, compared to its 222 million total paid memberships across the globe, according to the CNBC report.

In like manner, Airbnb is halting operations in Russia and Belarus due to Ukraine’s invasion. The decision includes around 90,000 active short-term rentals across different platforms in Russia and just over 1,800 in Belarus, according to Reuters.

Google also paused its ad business in Russia after Apple said it would stop selling its phones and computers there.

The tech giant paused all search, YouTube, and display network ads early Friday after the Russian government asked it to block ads related to Ukraine.

“In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia. The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate,” Google spokesperson Michael Aciman said in a statement.