PayPal Exits Crimea; Google Restricts Crimea Services

PayPal exits Crimea

As we already know PayPal left Crimea since January 2015. The reason? Sanctions. Since then, as it was expected there hasn't been any sign of PayPal coming back to the region. And that is truly good news. This all happened right after the West imposed sanctions following Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Even now, in 2026 nothing has changed - PayPal still isn't working in Crimea as it was expected. It means big companies follow laws and keep their reputation. Actually European Union renewed its sanctions in 2025, so all the restrictions are in place at least until June 23, 2026.

Google restrictions in Crimea

Google's story in Crimea is similar because of OFAC sanctions. Similar AdSense and AdWords are simply blocked - so if you're in Crimea, you can't use them to make money or advertise. Starting February 1 year 2015 Google Play also stopped working there. But unfortunately Search, Gmail, or Maps are still available for free in that region.

Sanctions from both the US and the EU are still in full force for Crimea and they're set to last through 2026.