EA Sports, Google, Dell, And Ford—Here’s The Growing List Of Companies Cutting Ties With Russia Over Invasion
by Marisa Dellatto · ForbesTopline
EA Sports began removing Russian football teams from its FIFA products Wednesday, joining a growing list of companies, including Dell, Google and Ford, that are distancing themselves from Russia after the country’s invasion of Ukraine last week—here’s a list of companies and what they’ve done:
Key Facts
Following FIFA and the Union of European Football Association’s Monday decision to bar the Russian team from competing, EA Sports announced Wednesday they have started to remove the Russian national team and Russian clubs from their FIFA video games “in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
Honda suspended exports of its cars and motorcycles to Russia, with a spokesperson for the company telling Reuters on Wednesday it was because of shipping and payment difficulties.
Google removed the apps for RT and Sputnik from its Play store Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Dell paused sales of its products in Russia on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported.
ExxonMobil announced Tuesday it will exit a joint venture off Sakhalin Island in Russia’s Far East, and will not invest in other developments in the country following its invasion of Ukraine, which the company said “violates the territorial integrity of Ukraine and endangers its people.”
Boeing said Tuesday it has suspended major operations in Moscow along with maintenance, parts and technical support services for Russian airlines, adding that it shut down its Kyiv office, according to Politico.
Streaming provider Roku removed the Russian state-controlled television network RT from its channel stores in the U.S. Tuesday, one day after it was removed from European stores, according to Deadline and Reuters.
Nike has disabled online product purchases in Russia as it cannot guarantee delivery to customers in the country, the brand said on its Russian website, directing customers to local Nike stores.
Ford announced Tuesday it was suspending its commercial van JV in Russia “until further notice.”
Apple said Tuesday it paused sales of its products in Russia, restricted apps for RT at Sputnik so they can only be downloaded in the country and disabled the traffic feature within Apple Maps in Ukraine “as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens.”
In a blog post Tuesday, Snap, Snapchat’s parent company, said the social platform has stopped running ads in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, will halt ad sales in Russia and Belarus and has pledged $15 million to organizations helping those in Ukraine.
A spokesperson for BMW told the Wall Street Journal Tuesday the company “will stop our local production and export for the Russian market until further notice” and said the luxury car maker “condemn[s] the aggression against Ukraine.”
Meta executives said Tuesday posts from Russian state media are no longer being recommended to users by Facebook’s algorithm, and soon won’t be by Instagram’s, according to The Verge, days after the company said it restricted access to Russian state media accounts in Ukraine, blocked Russian state media from running ads and earning money from their accounts on the platform and said it took down posts related to a disinformation campaign targeting Ukraine.
DirecTV told Axios on Tuesday that the company is “accelerating this year's contract expiration timeline” of RT America and “will no longer offer their programming effective immediately,” hours after the National Association Of Broadcasters called on broadcasters “to cease carrying any state-sponsored programming with ties to the Russian government or its agents.”
Adidas said on Tuesday it is suspending its partnership with the Russian Football Union, effective immediately, bringing a halt to the years-long partnership between the soccer program and Europe’s largest sportswear manufacturer.
Maersk, one of the world’s biggest shipping lines, suspended deliveries to and from Russia on Tuesday apart from food, medical and humanitarian supplies, citing the impact of sanctions.
YouTube on Tuesday blocked channels operated by Russian-state-funded outlets Russia Today and Sputnik News across Europe, days after it temporarily demonetized RT and other channels Saturday and prevented it from earning money through ads on its videos, and limited access to these channels in Ukraine.
Global payments firms Mastercard and Visa blocked a number of Russian financial institutions targeted by sanctions from their networks, in compliance with Western sanctions, the companies announced Monday and Tuesday.
The Walt Disney Company, which owns Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios, Pixar and other film properties, announced Monday it is pausing its release of theatrical films in Russia, including its anticipated Pixar film Turning Red, “given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis.”
A spokesperson for Netflix told the Wall Street Journal Monday that “given the current situation,” the streaming service has no plans to distribute news, sports and entertainment channels from Russian state media, despite a new Russian regulation that requires organizations with more than 100,000 subscribers to carry them, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Shell announced Monday it would divest in several ventures with Gazprom, a Russian-state owned gas company totaling to roughly $3 billion in value.
Twitter said Monday it would label tweets that share information from Russian state media accounts, and announced Friday it was temporarily suspending ads in Ukraine and Russia “to ensure critical public safety information is elevated and ads don’t detract from it.”
Airbnb announced Monday they will provide free, short-term housing for 100,000 refugees who have fled Ukraine, which will be paid for by the company and through donations.
Etsy announced Monday it was canceling all balances owed to the company by sellers in Ukraine, including listing and advertising fees, amounting to roughly $4 million, to alleviate financial hardships felt by those in the country.
Oil giant BP divested a roughly 20% stake in Russian oil company Rosneft Sunday, and announced the immediate resignation of two BP-nominated Rosneft board members, with BP chair Helge Lund calling Russia’s attack on Ukraine an “act of aggression” and saying BP’s “involvement with Rosneft, a state-owned enterprise, simply cannot continue.”
Verizon waived residential and mobile call fees to and from Ukraine Friday through March 10, and waived voice and text roaming charges for those in the country.
Key Background
Organizations around the world are also taking action against Russia. The International Olympics Committee requested Monday that sports organizations around the world ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing. Friday the Eurovision song contest barred Russia from competing this year, and Formula 1 canceled the Russian Grand Prix. The international fallout comes as the U.S. and other Western allies voted to remove some Russian banks from SWIFT over the weekend, and executed other rounds of sanctions on Russian financial institutions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been the direct target of sanctions, with the U.S. freezing his personal assets and those of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other wealthy Russian oligarchs.
Tangent
While some major consulting and accounting firms have condemned Russia’s actions, most have not pledged to fully stop doing business with the country. McKinsey & Co global managing partner Bob Sternfels wrote on LinkedIn Sunday that “our firm will no longer serve any government entity in Russia,” though a company spokesperson declined to comment to the Wall Street Journal about whether this policy will extend to state-controlled companies. An executive from Bain and Co. condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but did not specify if any changes have been made with their Russian clients. The “Big Four” accounting firms—KPMG, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young—have not severed ties, and legal regulations may make it difficult for them to do so, according to the Journal.
Further Reading
BP Drops Nearly 20% Stake In Russian-Owned Oil Firm After Invasion Of Ukraine (Forbes)
YouTube Temporarily Demonetizes Russian Channels And Restricts Access To Them In Ukraine (Forbes)
Eurovision Bans Russia As World Cuts Ties Amid Invasion Of Ukraine— See The Full List Here (Forbes)
FIFA Takes Stand Against Russia: Here’s How The Sports World Has Reacted To The Ukraine Invasion (Forbes)
Live: Russian Billionaires Aven, Fridman Vow To Challenge EU Sanctions (Forbes)