A series of high-profile firms are pulling support after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In the latest company pull-out, streaming giant Netflix, social media platform TikTok and US banking institution American Express have stopped providing services across the country.

The three firms follow other tech companies such as Apple and Spotify in pulling support after President Vladimir Putin ordered a Russian invasion over the Ukraine border.

In a statement over the weekend, a spokesperson for Netflix said that the streaming service was severing all ties with Russia, cutting viewers in the country off from its services.

“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for American Express said the company was suspending “all operations,” while TikTok said that users will not be able to upload new content.

American Express added that it had taken the decision in the “light of Russia’s ongoing, unjustified attack on the people of Ukraine”.

TikTok was pulling its services as new laws introduced in Russia threatened jail for spreading ‘fake’ information, with organisations like the BBC removing journalists from the country in response.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “We have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service in Russia while we review the safety implications of this law.”

Netflix previously announced a pausing of future projects following the invasion, but over the weekend decided to switch to a total shutdown in protest.

The latest pull-outs are further isolating Russia after reports of fighting in Ukraine, with countries worldwide condemning the attacks and accusing Putin of war crimes.

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With companies from the financial sector leaving the country, and tough sanctions being imposed, regular citizens in Russia are feeling the effects of a stretched economy.

As well as Western banks pulling out of Russia, the country’s largest lender Sberbank said it was leaving European countries after coming under pressure from sanctions.

In a statement last week, a spokesperson for the bank said: “In the current environment, Sberbank has decided to withdraw from the European market.”

In recent days, reports of heavy shelling on populated cities such as Mariupol and Kyiv have killed civilians, raised further concerns from the international community and caused further sanction and more tech companies to drop out of the country.

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