Universal Studios Cancels Movies In Russia, Due To Ukraine Invasion

Universal Pictures Studios confirmed that it will not release its new films in Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine, following the decision taken earlier by The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. "In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Universal Pictures has paused planned releases in Russia," the company said in a statement. "Belfast," "Ambulance," "The Bad Guys" and "Jurassic World Dominion" are among the titles affected by the move. On Monday night both The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. made the same decision. A significant number of companies in the technology and entertainment world - mostly based in California (USA) - are responding similarly to the war in Ukraine.

Netflix confirmed on Monday that it will not comply with Russia's new audiovisual law, which would require the platform to include some 20 public channels in order to operate in the country. The legislation, which was scheduled to come into force on March 1, imposes Netflix and other audiovisual services to broadcast content from Kremlin-affiliated media such as Channel One, the NTV entertainment network and the Orthodox Church Channel. Hours earlier, the technological Meta communicated that it will restrict in its social networks -which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp- access to the RT channel and the Sputnik agency, media affiliated to the Russian government, at the request of the European Union (EU). Also Twitter, another U.S. social network, announced Monday that it will add a warning on messages sharing links and news from Kremlin-controlled media, of which it will also seek to reduce their circulation on the platform. "Our product should make it easier to understand who is behind the content you see and what their motivations and intentions are," added that platform's head of Integrity, Yoel Roth.