Disney, Sony Pictures halt film releases in Russia

Disney and Sony Pictures have suspended the release of their films in theatres in Russia after Moscow's assault on Ukraine.

The companies on Monday announced their decision, which included the upcoming titles "Turning Red" from Pixar and "Morbius" from Sony Pictures, separately.

"Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia," Disney said in a statement.

"We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation," the US entertainment giant added.

Sony Pictures also said it would pause its planned theatrical releases in Russia due to "the ongoing military action in Ukraine and the resulting uncertainty and humanitarian crisis unfolding in that region," the company said in a statement.

READ MORE: ICC to open probe into 'war crimes' in Ukraine

Distancing from Russia

Disney's statement added that "In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees."

Sony, on the other hand, added "Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted and hope this crisis will be resolved quickly."

The decision by Disney and Sony Pictures follows the example of other major firms choosing to pull out of the country since President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion last week.

Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft took steps on Monday to limit the dissemination of information from news outlets affiliated with the Russian government.

More drastically, British oil companies BP and Shell have announced that they are dumping their shares in joint projects with Russian oil groups.

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