Mozilla Firefox removes Russia-based search engine Yandex from settings amid Ukraine war

Ever since the onset of the Ukraine war, Russia, the invader, has met with stringent sanctions from the western nations, with many global enterprises suspending or terminating their Moscow-based operations. On Monday, March 14, web browser Mozilla Firefox removed the Russia-based search engine Yandex from its settings and replaced it with the default search of Google. The users of Mozilla Firefox were notified regarding the change today, as per the reports of Telecomtimes.

Earlier, users were able to use Yandex search for many years in Mozilla Firefox, alongside Google, Wikipedia, DuckDuckGo, Ozon.ru, Price.ru, and many more. Users began receiving notifications on March 14, stating that starting today, they will be unable to use Yandex on the browser. As of now, it is unclear how Mozilla Foundation will be affected by this decision.

Other companies taking measures against Russia

The development comes in the backdrop of several other tech enterprises that have taken similar measures against Russia in the wake of its unjustified attack on Ukraine. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, and Meta have announced adjustments to their business plans in Russia. Google cut off ad revenue to Russian-backed state media outlets while also tightening security for Ukrainian users and websites. New product sales have been halted in Russia by Apple and Microsoft. Oracle and SAP have halted operations in Russia, while Meta has banned access to Russia Today and Sputnik, which are two of the Russian state-controlled news outlets.

Earlier last week, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express have announced that their activities in Russia will be suspended, which means that cards issued by Russian banks will not be able to function outside of Russia, and that cards from other countries will not function inside Russia, according to Crunchbase News.

Russian officials threatened international corporations

Meanwhile, Russian officials have threatened international corporations who are planning to withdraw operations from the country with arrest warnings and asset seizures, reported the Wall Street Journal. The companies were notified about the situation by calls, letters, and in-person visits. Ever since the onset of the Ukraine war, Russia has been subjected to unprecedented sanctions imposed by Western nations, with a growing number of businesses declaring their exits or plans to stop operations in the country.

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