Spotify Completely Stops Operation In Russia, Here's Why!

Spotify (Photo: techcrunch.com)

JAKARTA - Spotify has reportedly recently closed its operations in Russia in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine. The company said it would be suspending their services completely for an undetermined period of time.

In a statement, Spotify appeared to be referring to a new Russian law that punishes the spread of fake news about the military with up to 15 years in prison.

"Spotify continues to believe that it is imperative to try and keep our service operational in Russia to provide reliable and independent news and information in the region," said a Spotify spokesperson.

"Unfortunately, recently enacted laws further restrict access to information, deprive freedom of expression, and criminalize certain types of news putting the safety of Spotify employees and perhaps even our listeners at risk."

It is understood the new law took effect in early March, criminalizing the sharing of what the government considers false information about Russia's operations in Ukraine.

The new restrictions also penalize any speech that weakens the military, including describing the invasion of Ukraine using the word war.

While Spotify is primarily a music streaming platform, the company is increasingly investing in podcasts that combine politics and current events, a direction that has entangled it in a number of controversies.

After considering it, Spotify chose to completely suspend its services in Russia, a process that will be completed in early April once the company finalizes the logistics associated with the move.

Previously, Spotify had suspended premium subscriptions in Russia, although the free version of the app remains available. Because most of the world is afraid, Russia is steadily tightening its grip on the flow of information.

For information, not only Spotify, but several technology companies have also suspended their services in Russia, including Google which stopped all advertisements in the country due to government demands to ban false advertisements about the second conflict that never ended.