Tinder owner Match Group (MTCH.O) will exit Russia by June 30, citing the need to defend human rights.
“We are committed to protecting human rights,” Match stated in an annual impact report released Monday. “Our brands are taking steps to restrict access to their services in Russia and will complete their withdrawal from the Russian market by June 30, 2023.”
After Moscow began its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, Spotify and Netflix withdrew.
Match, which owns Tinder, Hinge, and PlentyOfFish, has been quiet about its Russian businesses but warned of severe effects on its European company in March 2022.
The Match did not immediately comment.
Match shareholder Friends Fiduciary Corp said Match set an example by linking their choice to Ukrainian human rights threats.
In September, Europol said that dating apps were being “hijacked” by human traffickers, highlighting the suffering of Ukrainian migrants.
Friends Fiduciary executive director Jeff Perkins told Reuters that a trust-based company should leave Russia:
“It’s not a good look for a trusted brand to be continuing operations in a nation where the head of state has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.”
On March 17, the ICC arrested Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, including the unlawful deportation of hundreds of Ukrainian children.
Moscow rejects war crimes, including child deportations, and claims the ICC judgment is irrelevant as Russia is not a member.
Comment Template