Spotify strips Russia of its services amid Ukrainian invasion

Spotify blasts Russia with ‘fully suspended’ service sanctions amid their continued invasion of Ukraine.

The indefinite suspension has been announced by the streaming platform as part of an official statement.

According to Variety, it reads, “Spotify has continued to believe that it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to provide trusted, independent news and information in the region.”

“Unfortunately, recently enacted legislation further restricting access to information, eliminating free expression, and criminalizing certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify’s employees and possibly even our listeners at risk.”

“After carefully considering our options and the current circumsta"nces, we have come to the difficult decision to fully suspend our service in Russia.”

This news comes shortly after Spotify initially refused to halt all services earlier, in the name of “global free flow of information.”