Russian Twitch streamers are not seeing their payouts due to sanctions placed on the country over the invasion of Ukraine.
A number of countries across the world have placed sanctions on Russia after the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Russian Twitch streamers were notified of this through email, which was shared with The Washington Post. “Payouts to the financial institution associated with your Twitch account have been blocked as a result of sanctions,” reads the email.
“Twitch complies with economic sanctions imposed by the United States and other governments, and is complying with those imposed in response to the situation in Ukraine. These sanctions may limit or impact your access to payouts, ability to monetize your stream, and/or financially support other creators.“
The email then continued, saying that Twitch appreciates “how frustrating and difficult this is and would like to reassure you that if you can’t provide an alternative financial institution, we will do our best to pay you revenue you have earned as soon as we are permitted to do so.“
how are streamers being affected?
On top of this, PayPal has suspended its service in Russia. This means Russian Twitch streamers essentially have no way to earn an income.
One Russian Twitch partner told The Post, “I feared it and knew it could happen, but didn’t expect it to happen this soon and overnight over the weekend. My community worries and showing up and talking to them, telling them how I feel, how things are, letting them see my face and my emotions about the situation is the least I can do.“
Another streamer, Alexey “Jesus AVGN” Gubanov, left Russia for the US because of his stance on Russian President Vladimir Putin. But even though he lives in the US, his payments have also been blocked.
Recently, a charity bundle containing almost 1000 games has been released that supports relief efforts in Ukraine. And the minimum donation is only just over £7, a great way to support the people of Ukraine.
If you want to support those currently affected by these events, here are a variety of direct links to charities you support, including:
- Red Cross
- SOS Ukraina – “Providing humanitarian assistance including food and other forms of support to people who have to leave their homes.”
- Save the Children – “Our Ukraine crisis response aims to reach 3.5 million vulnerable children and their families.”
- Voices of Children – “Charitable foundation Voices of Children helps children affected by the war in eastern Ukraine.”
Featured Image Credit: Twitch