Japanese tech giant Sony has finally left Russia

The Japanese technology giant Sony has finally completed its work in Russia, liquidating its local representative office. About writes The Moscow Times.

"Sony Mobile Communications Rus ceased to exist on August 11, a few days after its 18th anniversary.

Sony filed the documents for closure in October 2024, but the company had made attempts to exit the market before. Before that, in 2023, the company was denied liquidation. In recent years, Sony's Russian office has been engaged only in selling leftover goods and providing service support.

Sony announced its withdrawal from Russia shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, joining international sanctions.

Then the company stopped supplying game consolesclosed the PlayStation Store and donated $2 million to help Ukrainians through the UN and Save the Children.

Subsequently, Sony Pictures Entertainment stopped screening its films in Russia, and Sony Music stopped the work of its local division. The Russian catalogs were removed from streaming services, and the former Sony Music office became an independent label, Koala Music.

In 2024, the company began closing its branded stores due to a lack of supplies, and the process was completed in the summer.

• On May 19, it was reported that Sony had started massive blocking of PlayStation Network accounts that Russians registered in other countries to circumvent sanctions.