Netflix pausing projects, acquisitions in Russia

Netflix is pausing all projects and acquisitions based in Russia as Moscow continues its invasion of Ukraine.

A Netflix spokesperson told The Hill on Wednesday that the streaming service is pausing “all future projects and acquisitions from Russia while we assess the impact of the current events.”

The company had four Russian-language series in production and post production stages, according to the spokesperson: Anna K and Nothing Special, both of which finished filming in December 2021; ZATO, which has since been paused; and one other untitled product that is “wrapping shooting.”

Variety first reported on Netflix’s decision to pause products and acquisitions in Russia.

The decision to pause all products from Moscow comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine stretches into its seventh day. It began last week when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military operation in Ukraine.

Netflix on Monday announced that it would not run Russian-affiliated media channels on its platform in Russia because of “the current situation.”

A number of other companies have also made moves against Russia amid the invasion.

Disney announced on Monday that it was halting all releases in Russia because of the attack in Ukraine.

“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming ‘Turning Red’ from Pixar,” a Disney spokesperson said, according to CNN. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation.”

WarnerMedia has also taken action against Russia — on Monday it announced that it would not be releasing “The Batman” in Russia this weekend, citing the “humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.”

“We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy,” the company said.