Spotify shut down its office in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine

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Shubham Sawarkar is a technology journalist at GadgetBond, covering Apple, AI, consumer technology, software, gadgets, and product launches. His work explores emerging technologies, industry developments, product...

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Mar 4, 2022, 5:31 PM EST

According to Variety, Spotify has closed its office in Russia “indefinitely” in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

In Russia, the streaming platform does not stop service. Spotify says: “We think it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information.” Spotify has taken down all content from Kremlin-backed sources RT and Sputnik, as well as limiting the discoverability of content from other Russian government-affiliated websites. Spotify joins a growing list of companies taking action in reaction to the invasion with these actions.

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

Spotify staff in the region, as well as “our global community of Ukrainian employees,” would receive individual support, according to the audio-streaming giant.

Spotify claims that its employees have evaluated hundreds of pieces of content since the Russian hostilities began. On Wednesday, the company introduced a new guide on the Spotify platform to give consumers access to local “trusted news” sources from across the world which you can directly access from this link.

The section in the United States includes links to daily news podcasts from BBC News, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, as well as podcast explainers about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Ukraine’s history.

Spotify is also matching employee donations two-to-one to support local humanitarian efforts in Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion. “We are exploring additional steps that we can take and will continue to do what is in the best interest of our employees and our listeners,” the company spokesperson said.

In July 2020, Spotify debuted its service in Russia and Ukraine, as well as ten additional European nations.