Snapchat Joins Tech Giants in Halting Ad Sales in Russia

The Snapchat app remains live in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus as "an important communications tool."

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.

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I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.

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Corinne Reichert

March 1, 2022 3:43 p.m. PT

2 min read

gettyimages-1373155439 — A protest calling for peace between Ukraine and Russia on Feb. 27 in Rome, Italy.
Alessandra Benedetti - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Snapchat has followed suit after Facebook, Twitter and YouTube began pausing ads on Friday, saying it has now stopped all advertising running in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We are halting advertising sales to all Russian and Belarusian entities and are complying with all sanctions targeting Russian businesses and individuals," Snap said in a blog post Tuesday. "We do not accept revenue from Russian state-owned entities."

The Snapchat app remains live in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus because Snap said it's "an important communications tool for family and friends." However, Snap is monitoring the platform for misinformation or other misuse. It's never allowed Russian state-controlled media outlets to publish content on its Discover page.

Snap said it's been providing emergency assistance and helping Ukrainian team members relocate, also pledging $15 million in humanitarian aid.

"War is a scourge on our collective humanity, and in this case, it is a direct threat to many of our team members and their families," Snap said. "We are praying for their safety and for peace."

Apple has also halted sales of its products in Russia, as well as online transactions, Apple Pay and some Apple Maps features. Google said Tuesday it's temporarily disabling some live Google Maps features, adding an SOS alert to Search and blocking Russian state-controlled media. It said Google Pay "may become unavailable."