Russia’s Yandex to close offices in Kiev, Odessa under sanctions

MOSCOW, Jun 2 (PRIME) -- Russian Internet giant Yandex has decided to close its offices in the Ukrainian cities of Kiev and Odessa after being added to the sanction list and banned in the country, and the company will offer jobs in other countries to local staff, Yandex’s Public Relations Director Ochir Mandzhikov told PRIME late on Thursday.

“The Yandex.Ukraine company was included in the sanction list and cannot actually do business on the territory of Ukraine. In particular, all accounts of the company are blocked, and we cannot pay salary to our employees,” Mandzhikov said.

“That’s why we decided to shut down offices in Kiev and Odessa, and we’ll offer our team to keep on working in other offices of Yandex in different countries.”

Yandex’s General Director in Russia Alexander Shulgin said earlier that the company would most likely limit business in Ukraine, where its services were blocked in May, or leave the country because of activities of its government.

Resources of Yandex and its fellow Mail.Ru Group, as well as a number of Russian television channels, have been banned in Ukraine since May 17 under President Pyotr Poroshenko’s sanctions against a list of Russian companies and individuals.

The Security Service of Ukraine initiated on Monday searches in Yandex’s offices in Kiev and Odessa under a treason case. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities suspect Yandex’s management of illegally collecting, accumulating, and handing over to Russia personal data of Ukrainian citizens, as the service said then. Yandex denied the accusations.

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