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Website builder and hosting platform Wix will begin blocking all Russia-based users and shut down their websites regardless of whether they are free or paid users, the Israel-based company announced this week.
"Due to new regulations, Wix will no longer be able to support services for residents in Russia," the company said in a support page published Tuesday. "We are required to restrict access to Wix services for Russian residents."
The ban will come into effect on Thursday. Any Wix websites based in Russia will be taken down on that date. If a user's account or website is removed in error, however, it's possible to contact Wix's customer support to remediate the issue. But you'll need proof—like utility bills or residency visa documents with an address in another country—that shows you have been living outside of Russia for at least the past three months.
It's currently unclear whether Wix will be refunding impacted customers. PCMag has reached out to Wix for comment.
Wix is introducing these web restrictions for Russian users after the US Treasury Department announced it would require US companies to stop offering IT consultancy, design, cloud services, or IT support to anyone based in Russia. The new rules were declared back in June, and are set to take effect the same day Wix will enact its ban on Sept. 12. There are only very limited exceptions to these rules, meaning most impacted firms will have to either stop serving customers in Russia, or stop doing business in the US. The restrictions are due to Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine, which began in 2022.
Other tech firms, like cloud productivity platform Notion, have previously made similar announcements declaring a stoppage of services for Russia-based users. Wix is a global tech firm with over 5,000 employees and three offices in Israel, six US offices, and three office locations in Ukraine. It also has other bases in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, but none in Russia, China, or any US-sanctioned countries.
The US has continued to sanction Russian companies and entities as well, impacting parts of the tech industry. In June, the White House banned antivirus company Kaspersky from selling to US customers, citing national security concerns over Kaspersky's Russian origins.
Wix blocking Russia comes as Russian authorities continue to ramp up censorship efforts for its increasingly closed-off internet users. YouTube was effectively blocked in Russia last month. The country also considers Meta to be a "terrorist organization," meaning Facebook and Instagram are also blocked and can't be accessed without a VPN.