Main Highlights:
- According to internet monitoring firm GlobalCheck, Russia’s anticipated Instagram ban went into force today, thereby blocking the social media platform from the vast majority of the country’s population.
- Last week, the government declared that it would ban Instagram in response to parent firm Meta’s decision to allow users in select areas to urge for violence against Russian soldiers during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Russia has steadily restricted access to internet platforms to retain control over the flow of conflict-related material and has previously blocked Facebook and Twitter.
According to internet monitoring agency GlobalCheck, Russia’s anticipated Instagram ban took effect today, rendering the social media network inaccessible to the great majority of the country’s population.
The government announced measures to ban Instagram last week in reaction to parent company Meta’s decision to allow users in certain countries to call for violence against Russian soldiers after Russia invades Ukraine. Russia has been gradually restricting access to internet platforms to maintain control over the flow of information about the conflict and has already blocked Facebook and Twitter.
In a tweet last Friday, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri stated that this move would isolate 80 million people in Russia from one another and the rest of the globe, as 80% of Russians follow an Instagram account outside the nation. This is incorrect.
Russian influencers on Instagram tweeted farewell messages to their fans over the weekend, advising them to follow them on other platforms or use VPN software to circumvent the state’s ban.
According to the Washington Post, one Russian fashion influencer, Karina Nigay, expressed her displeasure with the restriction in a live broadcast. This is my effort, Nigay stated. Consider that you were just terminated from your job and are now getting no money, but you still have bills for your family and, if you have subordinates for your team, and you suddenly find yourself with nothing to pay your team.
Nigay later stated that the restriction might benefit Russian fashion firms. She also reacted to commentators on her video who made disparaging comparisons between her concerns and the hardship of Ukrainians by saying, to those who write all this garbage, all these propaganda articles, he doesn’t care.”
Instagram has also offered a venue for Russians, particularly affluent billionaires and their families, to express their opposition to the war. Sofia Abramovich, the daughter of billionaire Roman Abramovich, made an anti-Putin Instagram post before deleting it, while wealthy Russian banker Oleg Tinkov declared the conflict “unthinkable and intolerable.”
Sony withdraws Crunchyroll and other home entertainment content from Russia
According to Variety, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has ceased all activities in Russia, including the cancellation of home entertainment releases such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and the temporary suspension of access to its anime streaming service Crunchyroll. Additionally, the action will halt any television distribution arrangements in the nation.
SPE CEO Tony Vinciquerra stated in an email to staff obtained by Variety that the company stands in solidarity with several firms worldwide who have ceased operations in Russia and support humanitarian initiatives now ongoing in Ukraine and the surrounding region.
Additionally, they have canceled all upcoming home entertainment releases, including ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and any future television distribution partnerships. Additionally, Crunchyroll discontinued its anime streaming service in Russia this morning.
Sony, which owns the anime streaming service Funimation, acquired Crunchyroll in August and subsequently stated that the two services will be merged – a process that has already begun. As ComicBook.com adds, a translated notification on Crunchyroll’s Russian website says that the company is “forced to cease operations in Russia” and that customers will not be charged for their subscriptions during the service period unavailable in the country. In Russia, Funimation is already inaccessible.
Morbius and other upcoming theatrical releases were previously banned from Russia last month, while Sony-owned PlayStation suspended all sales and shipments to the nation earlier this week. On Thursday, Sony’s music business announced the closure of its activities in Russia.
Along with Sony, several entertainment behemoths across television, film, and gaming have withdrawn their products and services from Russia, including Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Universal, Netflix, and several large gaming businesses.
