US streaming giant Netflix has paused all acquisitions and projects in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Originally cited by motion-picture trade publication Variety, a Netflix source said the company is assessing the impact of Russia’s actions and their repercussions around the world.

The paused projects include the filming of an original Russian language detective series, ZATO. Set in a closed city following the fall of the Soviet Union, the series was set to have a worldwide premiere across Netflix’s streaming service.

In addition, another untitled series, which has yet to complete filming, will also be on hold.

However, the company has not provided details on two pieces of commissioned and completed content, including a modern version of Anna Karenina, titled Anna K.

The move is not the first action Netflix has taken against Russia since the war began just over a week ago. The company said it would defy a Russian law that would require it to run state TV programming on its platform from March 1st.

The regulations would require streaming services with more than 100,000 subscribers to distribute up to 20 news, sports and entertainment channels to its users. This would make Netflix the only foreign service big enough to qualify.

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The move raised fears that Netflix would be used as a vehicle for Russian propaganda, with state-run media following official lines of the Russian Government. This includes refusing to refer to strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine and a ban on calling the invasion a war.

Netflix’s Russian viewership is relatively minor since it launched in the country in 2016. While the company does not disclose specific subscriber numbers by country, estimates suggest that only around 185,000 people in Russia are subscribed to the service.

This is a very small percentage of both Russia’s population, over 140 million, and Netflix’s userbase, more than 222m people.

The move comes amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. This has prompted waves of sanctions from Western governments, along with similar moves from companies and other organisations, including Spotify and the World Bank.

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