Sony Interactive Entertainment has suspended all software and hardware shipments to Russia and closed the local PlayStation store.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov suggested the move on March 2. In a tweet directed at Microsoft’s XBox and Sony’s Playstation, he said: You are certainly aware of what is happening in Ukraine at the moment. Russia declares war not on Ukraine but on all civilized people. If you support human values, you should leave the Russian market! .
Attached to the tweet in question was a letter signed by his name and addressed to all game development companies and esports platforms:
The Russian Federation carried out an outrageous military attack in my country! Imagine, in 2022, cruise missiles attacking residential neighborhoods, day care centers and hospitals in the heart of Europe.
Armed Forces and Citizens Defend Ukraine to the End! The whole world repels the aggressor by the imposition of sanctions – the enemy must suffer heavy losses. But we need your help – in 2022 modern technologies are probably the best answer to tanks, multiple rocket launchers and missiles.
I am sure that you will not just listen, but you will do everything in your power to protect Ukraine, Europe and, finally, the democratic world as a whole from bloody aggression. authoritarian. To this end, I call for a temporary blocking of Russian and Belarusian accounts, a temporary blocking of the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams in all international esports events and a cancellation of events taking place on Russian and Belarusian territories.
We are confident that such actions will motivate the citizens of Russia to proactively stop this shameful military aggression.
Sony responded a few days later with these words:
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine. We have suspended the delivery of all hardware and software, the launch of Gran Turismo 7 and operations on the Playstation Store in Russia.
To support humanitarian aid, Sony Group Corporation announces a donation of $2 million to the United Nations Refugee Agency and the international NGO Save the Children to support the victims of these tragedies
The decision won’t block PlayStations in Russia, but will mean locals won’t be able to buy new games or kits.
Microsoft followed suit when it announced the suspension of all new sales in Russia last week, and major game publishers also left Russia.
Minister Fedorov’s suggestion that it might be possible to drag the Russians into action that would see them take action to stop the war also saw Netflix leave the country.
Amazon followed suit, announcing it would suspend Prime Video in Russia and halt product shipments, following an earlier decision to no longer sign Amazon Web Services customers in the country.
But the minister continued to write more tech companies in hopes that they either leave Russia or work harder to help Ukraine or even both. In recent days he has asked Union Pay, Intel and Hitachi to disconnect Putin.
Fedorov also thanked PayPal for bringing his services to Ukraine and hailed Elon Musk for delivering the promised Starlink satellite Internet transceivers: We have received the second shipment of Starlink stations*! Elon Musk kept his word! Thank you for supporting Ukraine and peace around the world.
On March 5, in a series of tweets, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the company was focusing on cyber defense and overcoming signal jamming amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine: Some Starlink terminals near conflict zones were blocked off for several hours at a time,” Musk said.
Musk also claimed that Starlink is the only non-Russian communication system that still works in parts of Ukraine, so the likelihood of being targeted is high. Also, Musk asked users to activate Starlink only when necessary and to place the antenna as far away from people as possible and to place a light camouflage on the antenna to avoid visual detection.
In response to Twitter users pointing out that Russian media is propaganda, Musk replied that he thinks all news sources do propaganda to some degree, and some do more than others. Also, Musk said Starlink would not block Russian news sources from its network except at gunpoint, adding, “Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.” The European Union has sought to prevent Russian state-controlled broadcasters, such as Russia Today and Sputnik, from operating in its countries. This prohibition extends to Internet service providers as well as cable and satellite television companies.
Sources : Sony, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation
And you ?
We are confident that such actions will motivate the citizens of Russia to proactively stop this shameful military aggression. What do you think of such a strategy aimed at blocking the use of foreign goods and services in order to push Russian citizens to be more proactive in forcing Russia to stop the war? Is it, in your opinion, justified? To what extent?
