ProtonMail will continue providing services in Russia as it “remains committed to ensuring the free flow of information.”
Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, keeps publicly pressuring companies to leave Russia to help stop “the bloody aggression.”
Many responded to his request by either providing help as Elon Musk did or ceasing their operations in the country. PayPal and many others have publicly condemned the Kremlin’s actions.
Microsoft, Adobe, DXC Technology, Oracle, Mikrotik, Lenovo, Samsung, Dell, Spotify, HP, and Cisco will all be either completely stopping shipments or temporarily shutting down in Russia.
However, some companies, such as Cloudflare, have come to different and therefore less popular decisions.
“As the conflict has continued, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in requests from Russian networks to worldwide media, reflecting a desire by ordinary Russian citizens to see world news beyond that provided within Russia,” the company said.
At the beginning of the war, ProtonVPN said it would be donating 10% of revenue from new ProtonMail and ProtonVPN subscriptions to relief efforts in Ukraine for the next two weeks. Almost two weeks later, ProtonMain explained why it wouldn’t stop serving Russian clients.
“Many companies have announced they will no longer serve Russian customers. Proton’s mission, however, is to defend online freedom anywhere in the world, so we remain committed to ensuring the free flow of information in Russia for as long as possible.”
Experts have already warned that attempts to lock ordinary Russian citizens out of the internet could leave them more susceptible to home-grown propaganda, as well as eroding norms that the worldwide web depends upon for security and stability.
As more IT, streaming, and communications companies announce their leave, Russians turn to VPNs to avoid total isolation. We have gathered a list of the best VPNs for Russia in 2022, including NordVPN, Surfshark, and PrivateVPN.
More from Cybernews:
The Iron Curtain: which IT-related services got blocked or left the Russian market?
Kremlin’s dirty infowar: sow division abroad, spread lies at home
Google to buy Mandiant for $5.4 billion
What does a cyberwar actually mean?
Beware: fraudsters impersonate law enforcement to extort money
Google offers free DDoS protection to Ukrainian organizations
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