Tech Giants Tout Ukraine Support: Amazon Yanks Prime Video In Russia And Suspends Deliveries; Facebook Adds Mental Health Resources As Fundraising Hits $30M

deadline.com:

Amazon and Meta Platforms are ramping up efforts in support of Ukraine, with Amazon’s measures including pulling the plug on Prime Video and shipments in Russia.The companies join a host of corporations who have taken steps to either leave Russia or stop doing business with the country in the wake of its invasion of neighboring Ukraine. (Discovery and WarnerMedia today announced a pause in activity there.) The attack two weeks ago set off the most significant on-the-ground fighting in Europe since World War II, with Russia increasingly isolated and subject to harsh economic sanctions.For the tech sector, the war has forced a rethink of a years-long laissez-faire stance that enabled misinformation and misdeeds related to Russia to spread for years.

Twitter, YouTube, Apple, Netflix and others have all taken steps to pull back from the region. Observers have likened the situation to the corporate exodus from South Africa over apartheid, only in a matter of days instead of years.In a blog post late Tuesday, Amazon said it had suspended shipment of retail products to customers based in Russia and Belarus.

It also said it will no longer take new Russia and Belarus-based customers of its web services business, or any third-party sellers from those territories.

In addition to suspending access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia, it is no longer be taking orders for New World, the only video game it sells directly in Russia.