With the big stick of European and American sanctions waving, the financial industry began to reduce its exposure to Russia. Companies in other areas are also pulling out, for example, technology companies, airlines, oil producers, etc. have stopped doing business with Russia.
Russia's campaign against Ukraine has become a defining moment for some of the world's largest tech companies, as their platforms have become a major battleground in a parallel information war where their data and services are key links.
Apple suspended sales in Russia
According to CCTV news, on March 1, local time, Apple issued a statement saying that it would suspend the sale of Apple products in Russia and restrict Apple Pay functions. In addition, the Russia Today and Satellite News Agencies apps have also been removed from apple app stores outside of Russia.
In addition, Apple added: "Apple Maps has been turned off the traffic and real-time events features of Apple Maps in Ukraine. ”
According to media reports, Russian users can still access Apple's online store, but users who try to buy iPhones show that they cannot achieve delivery.
It is understood that Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has previously "called for help" from companies such as Apple, Visa and PayPal.
Before the US stock market, Apple's stock price edged lower. It was down more than 1% yesterday and more than 5% in February.
Google, Meta, and Netflix have also acted
According to CCTV News, a number of network technology companies in the United States have begun to restrict the voice of Russian state media through major social media.
Google announced on March 1 local time that its video sharing site Youtube will prohibit the accounts of Russia Today and satellite news agencies from publishing information to Europe. According to Youtu, the measure will be "immediately effective throughout Europe.") In addition to restricting vocalization, Youtube also restricts Russian state media from placing ads on its platform.
On Feb. 28, Yuan, which owns social media platform Facebook and Photowall, announced similar measures to Youtube, while Twitter announced that it would label posts from sources in the Russian Kremlin.
In addition, Microsoft announced that it will no longer display Russia Today and satellite news agencies products and advertisements, and will remove Russia Today-related applications from its app store.
In addition, Twitter decided to prohibit users in Russia from registering new accounts. Disney suspended the release of movies in Russia, and Netflix removed the Russian news channel.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on March 1 that Western network technology companies such as Meta and Google should be responsible for "instigating" the war. The Russian Federal Service for The Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media has asked foreign Internet companies to stop discriminating against Russian media.
Chip companies are banning sales in Russia
According to foreign media reports, due to the new sanctions rules in the United States, chip giants such as TSMC, AMD, and Intel have suspended the delivery of products to Russia, and GF, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and other manufacturers also need to comply with this regulation, or also ban sales in Russia.
Earlier, according to the Russian Business Consulting (RBC), two sources in the IT industry said that AMD and Intel, the world's two largest CPU leaders, have suspended deliveries to Russia. The representative of the Russian Association of Developers and Electronics Manufacturers (ARPE) also confirmed this statement.
Intel's representative in Russia did not directly answer questions about whether they would stop supplying processors, but said that "the company is closely monitoring the situation and is implementing applicable sanctions and export control rules, including new sanctions regimens and rules implemented by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)."
The Washington Post said that according to a person familiar with the matter who did not want to be named, TSMC, the global foundry leader, has suspended all sales to Russia and third parties known to supply products to Russia, while combing through the sanctions rules.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor ETF index fell more than 4 percent this week.
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The recent performance of tech giants' stock prices has also been weighed down by the geopolitical situation.
Yesterday, Microsoft and Amazon fell more than 1%, Meta fell more than 3%, Netflix fell nearly 4%, and Google fell 0.5%.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that U.S. technology companies have been asked to "take sides" in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, highlighting both their influence and the extent to which their businesses are affected by geopolitical events.
The report quoted analysts as saying that at a time when more and more large technology companies are subject to the rules of the countries and regions in which they operate, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict may accelerate the division of the Internet.
Reuters said the ranks of Western companies pulling out of Russia are expected to expand as businesses and investors from all walks of life follow in the footsteps of energy company BP to pull out of Russia.
However, it is unclear how long this wave of companies will withdraw or suspend operations from Russia. According to the Financial Associated Press, if the geopolitical and sanctions situation changes, the idea of overseas companies withdrawing from Russia may also change.