Sony Pictures is the latest company to pause its business operations in Russia in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
SPE’s Tony Vinciquerra informed staff of the decision in a memo Friday that was obtained by TheWrap, and the pause of business operations includes halting planned home entertainment releases of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and other future TV distribution deals. And Crunchyroll (which is part of SPE) has also suspended its anime streaming service in Russia.
Sony previously halted the release of its upcoming film “Morbius” in Russia. Sony also yanked the PlayStation 5 from Russia in response to the invasion.
“As we continue to see the devastating news and images coming out of Ukraine, I wanted to reach out with an update on how SPE is reacting to these events. We stand with many businesses around the world who have now paused their business operations in Russia, and in support of the humanitarian efforts currently underway in Ukraine and the surrounding region,” Vinciquerra said in the memo.
Sony Group Corporation also previously announced a $2 million donation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the international NGO Save the Children to provide Ukraine residents with humanitarian aid.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with those who have been impacted and it is our hope that a peaceful resolution can be found soon.”
Other companies in Hollywood and beyond have taken similar steps amid the ongoing war. Disney, Discovery, WarnerMedia, Amazon and media companies such as The New York Times, CNN, ABC News and CBS News have all suspended operations in Russia.
Russia has specifically targeted media companies with a new law that threatens prison time for journalists reporting on military activity in Ukraine, and it has forced some of the last independent Russian media operations to shut down, including the TV station Dozhd and the radio station Ekho Moskvy. Other sites have either been blocked or, in the case of social media networks, apparently slowed down in the country.