Netflix, an American streaming platform, is now unavailable in Russia. This Monday, May 20th, California’s streaming giant said that the Russian offensive in Ukraine has made it impossible for Netflix to access Russia. It is the latest Western company to withdraw from Russia. Since Friday, the Russian Netflix app and website has been inaccessible. Netflix explained that it was the materialization and withdrawal from Russia’s market announced in March. It also stated that the American platform had waited until the end of a billing cycle in order to block Russia from Netflix.
The site was accessible previously, so customers with non-Russian payment methods (e.g. those issued by Russian banks and not approved due to Western sanctions) could still subscribe.
According to the official figures of the American platform, Netflix was the leader in online video with 221.8 million paying subscribers as of the end 2021. Netflix joins a host of foreign companies who have announced that they will suspend their activities or withdraw from Russia following the launch of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on Feb 24.
