Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, has announced that it will leave Russia by June 30, citing the need to preserve human rights.
This platform is one of many Western companies that have left Ukraine since Moscow sent soldiers there last year.
“We are committed to protecting human rights,” Match stated in an annual impact report issued on 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.”
Many digital service providers with few employees in Russia, such as Spotify and Netflix, withdrew their services shortly after Moscow launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.
Match, whose brands include Tinder, Hinge, and PlentyOfFish, has made few public pronouncements concerning its Russian businesses but has warned of negative consequences for its European company in March 2022.
Friends Fiduciary Corp, a Match stakeholder, said Match had set an example for others to follow by connecting its choice to the human rights threats that the Ukrainian people confront.
In September, the European police agency Europol stated that dating apps were among the online platforms “hijacked” by persons for human trafficking objectives, drawing attention to the suffering of Ukrainian refugees.