On Thursday, February 24, 2022, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine, the second largest country in Europe which has been recognized as independent since 1991. Russian President Vladimir Putin began amassing troops on the Russo-Ukrainian border in the spring of 2021 and has now entered the two breakaway regions of Ukraine on what he dubbed a “peacekeeping mission.” As tensions climbed earlier this year in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, NATO member nations began providing military and financial aid to Ukraine, and many countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia since the invasion began.
Individuals and companies have also responded to what many consider an unnecessary and unjustified act of violence on the part of Russia. Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red donated a significant sum of money to aid Ukraine’s efforts to repel the invasion. The 1,000,000 PLN, equivalent to approximately $242,000 USD, went to Polish Humanitarian Action, an organization that has raised $1.5 million dollars to assist Ukraine.
On Tuesday, March 1, Apple announced that it would be temporarily halting sales in Russia, and all products on the company’s Russian online store are currently marked as unavailable. Apple has also removed the apps for RT News and Sputnik News, Russian state-controlled media outlets, from the App Store in all countries except Russia. This move comes after backlash from consumers about Apple’s apparent lack of response to the invasion when company CEO Tim Cook tweeted that he was “deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine.” On February 25, the day after the invasion began, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov contacted Cook directly to request that Apple stop supplying services and products to Russia.
Other companies have taken direct action to impede or sanction Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Google has blocked the RT News and Sputnik News YouTube channels in Europe and is no longer allowing Russian state-funded media to appear on Google News. The company has also turned off Ukraine traffic data in Google Maps, and Apple has done the same with Apple Maps. While researchers were using the information provided by these services to track the invasion, the data also poses a safety risk because it can be used to learn about troop movements on both sides of the conflict.
Facebook has also restricted access to Russia Today and Sputnik across the European Union, and has barred Russian state-run media from selling ads on the platform. Dell announced last week that it had suspended sales in Russia, Nike temporarily paused sales on March 1, and Ford has halted its joint venture partnerships in Russia until further notice. The vehicle manufacturer has also made a donation to the Global Giving Ukraine Relief Fund to assist displaced or injured Ukrainian citizens.
Sources: CNBC, The Guardian