Sanctions block Russian Twitch streamers from getting paid

International sanctions from the United States and European Union have blocked payments to Russian Twitch streamers.

Early on in the Ukraine invasion, Western countries blocked Russian banks from SWIFT, the payment tracking system used by worldwide institutions. This has affected Russia's purchasing power as payment processors no longer accept payments to and from the region; Nintendo's eShop, for example, no longer accepts Russian rubles for online purchases.

Now Russian Twitch streamers are being affected. The California-based streaming company can no longer send payments to Russian influencers due to the sanctions. In the blink of an eye, streamers in Russia have been cut off from their monthly paychecks.

"Payouts to the financial institution associated with your Twitch account have been blocked as a result of sanctions," reads an email acquired by The Washington Post.

"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."

Games industry's response to Russian invasion on Ukraine

• Epic Games stops commerce with Russia in protest of Ukraine invasion
• Amazon cancels plans for Russian language support in New World
• Buy John Romero's new Doom II map and support Ukrainian relief
• Microsoft stops sales of Xbox consoles, games, and services in Russia
• Nintendo eShop no longer accepts Russian rubles
• STALKER 2 development halted as dev team faces war in Ukraine
• The Pokemon Company donates $200,000 to help Ukrainian families
• CD Projekt RED stands with Ukraine, bans game sales in Russia, Belarus