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Amazon announced on March 8, 2022, that it would suspend Prime Video access for customers based in Russia and stop taking Russian orders for New World. The measures were part of a wider response that also affected retail shipments, new AWS customers and new third-party sellers in Russia and Belarus—not a statement that Amazon had ended every service in Russia.
What Amazon announced on March 8, 2022
Amazon said the actions were taken “given the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine.” Its announcement covered several distinct parts of the business:
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Star Trek: New Worlds - PC | $18.68 | Buy on Amazon |
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The World Game - Fun Geography Board Game - Educational Game for Kids & Adults - Cool Learning Gift... | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World | $11.93 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - PC | $43.93 | Buy on Amazon |
- Prime Video: Access was to be suspended for customers based in Russia.
- New World: Amazon would no longer take orders for the game in Russia. The company described it as the only video game it sold directly there at the time.
- Retail: Amazon suspended shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus.
- AWS and marketplace: Amazon stopped accepting new AWS customers and new third-party sellers based in Russia and Belarus.
Amazon’s March 8 announcement is the source for the company’s stated measures. Some news reports appeared on March 9 or later, but the announcement date was March 8.
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The scope differed by measure. Amazon explicitly named Russia and Belarus for retail shipments, new AWS sign-ups and new seller onboarding. Its wording about Prime Video and New World specifically referred to Russia. The announcement does not establish that the same Prime Video or game-order restrictions applied in Belarus.
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These policies also addressed different activities: streaming access, direct game orders, delivery of retail goods, creation of AWS accounts and onboarding of marketplace sellers. A restriction on one should not be read as proof that all the others—or every existing account—were terminated.
What the announcement did—and did not—say
Prime Video access, not every Prime benefit
Amazon said it was suspending Prime Video access for customers based in Russia. It did not announce that Prime memberships worldwide were canceled, that all Amazon accounts were closed, or that Prime Video was suspended in every Russian-speaking market. The statement does not explain how customer location was determined, or whether travel or VPN use changed access.
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The 2022 announcement confirms the suspension at that time; it does not establish Prime Video’s availability in Russia as of August 2026. A current status claim would require a newer official source.
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“No longer take orders” describes Amazon’s direct sales channel. The announcement does not say that existing owners immediately lost the ability to play, received automatic refunds, or were cut off through every other retailer or distribution channel. It also did not announce a global shutdown of New World.
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- Race Around the World - Move across the map, pass famous landmarks and use country facts to reach the finish first; a 40-minute family game for ages 9+
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- 194 Countries of the World Included - Country card shows flag, capital, area, population, GDP per capita, highest point and neighboring countries; 26 action cards add twists
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Specific business limits, not proof of a complete exit
Amazon said it would not accept new Russia- or Belarus-based AWS customers. That is not the same as saying all existing AWS workloads or accounts were immediately terminated. Likewise, stopping new third-party seller onboarding is not proof that every existing seller account ended at once. Contemporary reporting described the AWS action as a bar on new customers rather than a blanket cutoff of existing cloud services (GeekWire, March 9, 2022).
Amazon’s stated rationale and Russian footprint
Amazon linked its measures to the situation in Russia and Ukraine; its announcement did not describe the Prime Video action as a technical outage or a routine licensing dispute. The company also said Amazon and AWS had no data centers, infrastructure or offices in Russia, and that Amazon had a long-standing policy of not doing business with the Russian government.
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- Civilization V New World PC
The announcement does not establish that a specific legal sanction compelled the Prime Video suspension, so the action is best described as Amazon’s stated business response rather than as a legally required step. The company also reported humanitarian support connected to Ukraine, including a $5 million donation and matching employee donations at the time. That support was separate from the service and sales restrictions.
What happened to New World: Aeternum later?
Amazon announced a separate end-of-life plan for New World: Aeternum on January 15, 2026. The game was delisted that day, in-game purchases ended July 20, 2026, and servers are scheduled to go offline worldwide on January 31, 2027. The official notice said existing owners could continue downloading and playing until the scheduled shutdown; the official FAQ provides additional details.
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- Skyrim reimagines the open-world fantasy epic, pushing the game play and technology of a virtual world to new heights
- Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the legendary freedom of choice, storytelling
- Skyrim's new game engine brings to life a complete virtual world with rolling clouds, rugged mountains, bustling cities, lush fields
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This later game-wide lifecycle decision is distinct from Amazon’s March 2022 decision to stop taking orders in Russia. The cited announcements do not establish that the 2026 delisting or planned server shutdown was caused by the Russia restriction.
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