Spotify has closed its Russian office “indefinitely”

Add Spotify to the list of Western companies who are physically pulling out of Russia. The streamer says that it’s closing its Russian office “indefinitely” but will not cut off the country from its service.

“We think it’s critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information.” Translation: Spotify is a channel through which anti-Putain protest messages can reach the Russian people.

There’s more.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an important source of global and regional news at a time when access to information is more important than ever.”

Spotify says it is also providing individual support to employees in the area as well as their “global community of Ukrainian employees.” It’s matching employee donations on a two-to-one basis.

Another quote: “We are exploring additional steps that we can take and will continue to do what is in the best interest of our employees and our listeners.”

Meanwhile, Spotify has kicked off all content from Russian news sites RT and Sputnik.

Spotify came to Russia in 2020.

More at Variety.