Disney Stops Theatrical Releases In Russia Due To Ukraine Invasion
The Walt Disney Company has announced they will pause all theatrical releases in Russia in response to Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis that it has created. On February 24, Vladimir Putin announced in a public address that Russia was conducting a «special military operation» in Ukraine as convoys of Russian tanks, planes and troops poured into Ukraine's sovereign borders. The world has since watched Putin's forces attack military and civilian targets around Ukraine as its residents scramble to protect themselves. The death toll is unclear with at least half a million refugees now in Ukraine's neighboring countries to the West.
The worldwide response to Russia's invasion has been a response of solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Accordingly, there have been calls for every major company to show their support for Ukraine. This has included major tech companies who are under pressure to cut services off from Russia as well as streaming services like Netflix. Disney is under the same pressure to show solidarity, given their global reach as one of the world's biggest media conglomerates.
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Now, The Walt Disney Company has announced that they will pause all theatrical releases in Russia until further notice. They will instead focus on working with NGOs connected with the company to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees. This is clearly in direct response to Russia's unprovoked invasion. This makes Disney the first major media company to make a public stance against Russia. See the full quote from The Walt Disney Company's official Twitter account below:
Statement from The Walt Disney Company in
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