The American payment card companies Visa and Mastercard announced this Saturday that they have suspended all their operations in Russia, thus further isolating consumers and the Russian financial system after the invasion of Ukraine.
"For more than a week, the world has witnessed the shocking and devastating events resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our colleagues, our customers and our partners have been affected in ways most of us could not imagine," Mastercard said. in a press release.
[CNN, Bloomberg and the BBC Suspend Russia Operations Amid Kremlin Attacks on the Press]
Visa, for its part, was more direct in decrying the invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin.
"We are forced to act following Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and
the unacceptable events we have witnessed
," said company chairman Al Kelly.
"This war and the constant threat to peace and stability demand that we respond in accordance with our values," the executive said.
The decision of both companies disables all foreign transactions made with Visa and Mastercard cards issued in Russia.
Nor will any of the cards issued by financial institutions in other countries, neither in shops nor in ATMs, work on Russian soil.
In July 2018, women in traditional Russian costumes greeted Visa customers who won trips to the 2018 World Cup in Russia in Moscow. Both Visa and Mastercard announced they would cease operations in Russia on March 5, 2022. Rebecca Blackwell / AP
The cancellation of the cards is the most recent measure, after Visa and Mastercard announced on March 1 the blocking of several Russian financial institutions from their network, complying with
the government sanctions imposed by the United States in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. .
"These have been and will continue to be very difficult days, especially for our employees and their families in Ukraine; for our colleagues with family and friends in the region; for our colleagues in Russia; and for the rest of us who watch from afar" Mastercard said in its statement.
In the last week, dozens of companies and organizations in different countries have ceased their operations in Russia or severed their ties with prominent Russian personalities and organizations close to President Vladimir Putin.
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On Thursday, the New York Metropolitan Opera announced it was excluding renowned Russian soprano Anna Netrebko from its lineup after
she refused to disavow Putin.
"Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there was no way forward," New York Opera General Manager Peter Gelb said in a statement.
This Saturday it transpired that the Spanish giant Inditex, owner of Zara, Bershka and Pull & Bear stores, among other brands, decided to temporarily close its more than 500 stores in Russia.
Samsung and the financial company PayPal also stopped operating on Russian soil, due to the Putin-ordered invasion of Ukraine.