Spotify to leave Russia

The streaming service Spotify will completely suspend operations in Russia starting in April, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports, citing a statement from the company.

Spotify said it was committed to ensuring that the service continued to operate in Russia and that users had access to reliable and independent sources of information.

But the company said in a statement that recent laws passed in Russia impose additional restrictions on access to information, eliminate freedom of expression and criminalize certain types of news, which it believes could put Spotify employees and, potentially, listeners at risk.

After carefully considering our alternatives, given the current circumstances, we have come to the difficult decision to completely cease our operations in Russia.

The company previously closed its Russian office, opened as part of the implementation of the "landing" law. The company also stopped all monetization opportunities from Russia.

• Spotify has been operating in Russia since July 2020. Spotifycalled the launch in Russia the most successful entry into a new market in its history.
• On March 5, amendments came into force in Russia that provide for administrative and criminal liability for “discrediting the use of Russian troops” and disseminating “deliberately false information about the activities of the Russian Armed Forces.” Punishments under these new articles range from fines to imprisonment for 15 years.