Chinese surveillance industry giant Hikvision has suspended operations in Russia, joining the ranks of over 1,000 companies that have scaled back business in the country since Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Hikvision's Russian website is currently offline, a development flagged by Russian security systems adviser Videoglaz on the social media platform Telegram last week. The precise date operations ceased is unclear.
The Hangzhou-based manufacturer is subject to U.S. Treasury sanctions and is on the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List, subjecting it to export controls and licensing restrictions over the company's involvement in human rights violations against China's Muslim minorities.
The move by Hikvision, which Ukraine last year labeled a "sponsor of war" over its continued sales in Russia, comes on the heels of U.S. secondary sanctions targeting international companies in sectors deemed to support Russia's military industrial base.
Hikvision, along with its budget brand HiWatch, comprised some 30 percent of Russia's surveillance camera market in 2021, according to Russian media agency RSpectr.
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-dealt-blow-china-spy-camera-maker-hikvision-1904869
