Spotify closes its offices in Russia

In response to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Swedish audio streaming platform Spotify has closed its offices in the Vladimir Putin-led country “indefinitely.”

As per Variety, the company has restricted the discoverability of Russian state-affiliated content on the audio service. It has also removed all content from Kremlin-backed outlets RT and Sputnik from Spotify’s platform.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine. 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,” the Spotify’s representative said.

Spotify is also working on a humanitarian level. The company is “matching employee donations two-to-one to support local humanitarian efforts in Ukraine amid the Russian attack.”

Spotify launched its service in Russia and Ukraine in July 2020.