YouTube stops all monetization in Russia

MOSCOW. March 10 (Interfax) - Content creators who use the YouTube video hosting website will no longer be able to receive income from Russian audiences, the company said in a statement.

YouTube said they would extend the suspension onto all monetization opportunities, including YouTube Premium and Music Premium subscriptions, channel sponsorship, super-chats, super-stickers and merchandise for Russian viewers.

This means YouTube content creators will temporarily be unable to monetize on views in Russia.

YouTube noted that the decision would not apply to earnings from views outside of Russia.

Google and YouTube Ads were shut down in Russia earlier, thus depriving YouTube content creators of the opportunity to make money on ads viewed by Russian users.

Google said earlier that it was suspending payments for Google Play products by Russian users, which prevented them from buying new applications or extending subscriptions to applications in use.

Russian users reported that it is no longer possible to subscribe to YouTube Premium, which allows watching videos without ads.

Meanwhile, the Visa and MasterCard payment systems stopped service for Russian cards on March 10. Cards issued in Russia will continue to work inside the country but will be inactive abroad. Cards issued outside of Russia will not work in the Russian territory.