In the aftermath of Russia's invasion, Google Maps has added an SOS alert to Search across Ukraine, as well as temporarily suspending several live Google Maps services. Google said in a blog post Tuesday that the SOS warning will direct users looking for evacuation advice to UN resources for refugees and asylum seekers.
Google's security staff are also working on stopping suspicious activity related to the invasion, and the company is beefing up its Google account security precautions in the region, particularly for authentication.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is both a tragedy and a humanitarian disaster in the making," Google said. "We're working with expert organizations to source helpful humanitarian information as the situation unfolds."
According to Google, Project Shield is protecting over 100 Ukrainian websites, including local news services.
In order to combat the spread of misinformation online, Google has restricted Russian state-controlled media outlets RT and Sputnik from appearing on YouTube in Europe. It is also reducing worldwide recommendations for Russian state-funded media sites, with YouTube eliminating thousands of videos in the previous few days for breaking community guidelines.
While Google Search, Maps, and YouTube are still available in Russia, Google Pay "may become unavailable in certain regions," Google added.
"We are committed to complying with all sanctions requirements and we continue to monitor the latest guidance."
In addition, Google and its employees are donating $15 million in donations and support to Ukraine's relief operations, as well as $5 million in ad credits for humanitarian and international organizations.
In a similar spirit, Meta stated on Tuesday that Russian state-controlled media outlets' material will be demoted on Facebook and Instagram. Meta is also tagging and making content more difficult to find on both platforms.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, launching a "war against the whole of Europe," according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The United Nations' human rights committee reported at least 136 people, including 13 children, have been killed and 400 have been injured in Ukraine in the first five days of Russia's invasion. The UN Refugee Agency said over 660,000 refugees have fled Ukraine into neighboring nations.
Other world leaders have joined President Joe Biden in condemning the "brutal attack," and the U.S., EU, and U.K. have announced economic sanctions on Russia, including ones aimed directly at Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tensions had been rising for months, fueled by Putin's fiery comments and the deployment of Russian military around Ukraine's borders. Ukraine declared independence in 1991 after spending much of the 20th century as part of the Soviet Union.
