As of now, it it should be clear that Russia should be punished for its illegal aggression in Ukraine. As Ukrainians fiercely resist the occupation, we must urge international technology companies to take the drastic actions necessary to isolate the aggressor and thwart Russian state propaganda across the world. different platforms – as well as limiting its participation in the global technology ecosystem.
Russian disinformation stories, many of which are still circulating on social media platforms, put the lives of Ukrainians in jeopardy. As a result, Instagram has started tagging profiles of Russian propaganda media, Meta and YouTube have blocked some of the media created by Russian state propagandists. In response to these actions, Russia has banned independent media platforms, including Facebook. To protest against the dissemination of the truth about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian parliament passed a law imposed a prison sentence of up to 15 years for intentionally spreading “fake” information about the Russian military.
Over the past two years, Ukraine’s technological focus has been on becoming a digital nation, with the ambitious goal of turning Ukraine into a major European IT hub. But now we have a new technological goal: to make Russians suspicious of state propaganda and protest against their government officials.
Ukrainian government Sent request to companies like Google, Apple, Mastercard, Visa and Paypal asking them to block their services in Russia. Our actions are not aimed at moderate Russians. We are just trying to make the Russian people aware of the real situation of the matter, so that they stand up against Putin’s dictatorship.
Initial results are promising, and some companies took the corresponding action. Just last week, Apple stops selling its products in Russiaand YouTube is blocked all Russian state media channels in Europe. Google Play Store also available suspended the apps of those stores cross-country. Microsoft and Adobe have announced the suspension of all sales of their new products and services in Russia, and IBM, Cisco, SAP, and Netscout have ceased all business in the country. The entertainment industry in Russia is also changing. Netflix refuses to broadcast Russian state TV channels and Spotify have closed offices in Russia and restricted Russian state-sponsored programming. In addition, Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. has halted the film’s release in Russia.
Sanctions imposed by companies in financial services are particularly effective. Apple Pay and Google Pay are not available to many Russians. PayPal and Payoneer have closed their services in Russia, and Visa and Mastercard have suspended all financial activities in the country. These are the measures we are most looking forward to. These sanctions strike irrevocably and could lead to the downfall of the Putin regime.
But much needs to be done. After the recent events in Ukraine, Russia cannot be part of the global IT ecosystem. We urge the world to stop funding technology companies that originate from or have a presence in Russia. While Russia is not necessarily the world leader in technology, companies under the Kremlin’s control are dangerous and should feel the full impact of the sanctions. According to Pitchbook data published by The Wall Street Journal, in 2021, US investors participated in 20 deals involving startups with some operations in Russia, while investors in the European Union participated in 36. All Startups based or operating in Russia must be aware that they will not be able to increase profits because of the access to capital venture that closes to it. Whether or not they intend to do so, Russian companies finance the bloodshed in Ukraine through their taxes.
On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I would like to thank every company and country for their decisive actions against the aggressor and the billions of donations that will be used to rebuild a free, democratic and free Ukraine. successful. We ask the whole world to continue to support us.
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