War in Ukraine: Google and Airbnb join companies restricting their services in Russia

US tech giant Google has stopped selling advertising in Russia, as part of Russia's offensive in Ukraine.

 

In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we are suspending Google ads in Russia, the company said in a statement. The situation is evolving rapidly, and we will continue to share updates as appropriate.

 

The California-based company had previously banned Russian state-funded media from buying or selling advertising through its technologies, and disabled its real-time traffic information for Ukraine in its browser software. This measure is announced to protect the Ukrainian public and was decided in consultation with the country's authorities.

 

Separately, vacation rental platform Airbnb, another major U.S. technology company, has ceased operations in Russia and Ukraine, Executive Director Brian Chesky also announced on Twitter.