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Topics: Xbox, PlayStation, World News
Ukraine's deputy prime minister has called on PlayStation and Xbox to take a stand against Russia by blocking the accounts of Russian users.
Deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov penned an open letter in which he asked for video game companies and esports organisations to do "everything possible to protect Ukraine, Europe and finally the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression".
"Xbox and PlayStation: You are definitely aware of what is happening in Ukraine right now," Fedorov wrote. "Russia declare war not for Ukraine but for all civilized world. If you support human values, you should leave the Russian market!"
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The full letter reads: "The Russian Federation has carried out a deceptive and outrageous military attack on my country! Just imagine, in 2022, cruise missiles attack residential neighbourhoods, kindergartens and hospitals in the heart of Europe.
"The armed forces and citizens are defending Ukraine till the end! The whole world is repelling the aggressor through the imposition of sanctions - the enemy must suffer significant losses. But we need your support - in 2022, modern technology is perhaps the best answer to the tanks, multiple rocket launchers (hrad) and missiles.
"I am sure that you will not only hear, but also do everything to protect Ukraine, Europe and finally, the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression - and I appeal to temporarily block all Russian and Belarusian accounts, temporarily stop the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams and gamers in all international esports events and cancel all international events holding on the territory of Russia and Belarus.
"We are sure that such actions will motivate the citizens of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression."
Russia's actions against Ukraine have already been met with tough sanctions imposed by countries around the world, including the US and UK. In the last week, Disney, Sony, and Warner Bros. have confirmed that they will be pulling their biggest releases from Russian cinemas until further notice. There are also rumours that EA is planning to remove references to Russia from its EA and NHL titles, though this is currently unconfirmed.
A wide range of studios and esports stars have already condemned the invasion, and made donations to various humanitarian causes. You can see the full list of developers currently sharing proceeds from their games to aid the Ukraine crisis here.