Condé Nast Closes Russian Franchise and Ceases Vogue Russia Publishing

Condé Nast has joined the more than 750 companies that have shuttered operations in Russia in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine and increasingly strict censorship laws.

All publications by the company, including Vogue, GQ, Architectural Digest and Tatler, are suspended in Russia. The company had been active in Russia since 1998 and as of March 2022, maintained a combined reach of more than 21 million people in the country.

Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast, wrote in a memo to staff, “As the war has waged on, the escalation in the severity of the censorship laws, which have significantly curtailed free speech and punished reporters simply for doing their jobs, has made our work in Russia untenable.”

In a statement on the company’s Instagram page, Vogue Russia announced, “We are suspending all kinds of broadcasts on our platform until further notice. All previously published pieces are still available on vogue.ru.”

On Twitter, Condé Nast published a post that said company leadership “believe[s] that this is not a farewell letter, but only a short pause, after which we will return to you.”

10% of Vogue Russia staff will remain in their positions to “fulfill certain outstanding obligations”. The company has pledged to support former employees with generous severance packages and assistance in finding new employment.

Condé Nast isn’t the only fashion publication to retreat from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Hearst Magazines — owner of Elle, Esquire and Cosmopolitan — ceased its Russian media partnerships with Shkulev Media and Fashion Press, effective March 10, 2022.

Chanel also closed its doors in Russia last month. In a statement, Chanel announced it has implemented a process of asking clients shopping abroad or “for whom we do not know the main residency” to confirm that the Chanel products they are purchasing “will not be used in Russia.”