January 25, 2024

Tinder Breaks Up with Belarus


Tinder Breaks Up with Belarus
The Tinder app open on a phone. Focal Foto, Flickr.

On January 16, the American company Match Group took Belarus by surprise when it announced that its dating apps Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid will exit the country on February 15, the day after Valentine's Day.

Tinder notified its users that, "As of February 15, if you’re located in Belarus, you won’t be able to use Tinder services or sign into your account." The app suggests that Belarussian love-seekers delete their accounts. Subscriptions that expire before Valentine's Day will not be renewable. Bachelors and bachelorettes will be eligible for a refund if their plans extend past February 15. Tinder encouraged its customers to use purchased features before the app departs, especially "Super Likes," which tells a potential match that a user is very interested in them.

Tinder did not say why it is leaving Belarus. Cultural expert and editor of Belarussian Yearbook Vadim Mozheyko told Deutsche Welle (DW) that operating in a "problematic region" is risky for the dating app's reputation. In addition, issues with payments, due to sanctions on Belarussian banks by the US, may have contributed to the decision to leave. Another red flag for Tinder was how Belarus's security forces has used the app to dig up dirt on its citizens and open criminal cases. 

In February 2023, Alexandra Rybchik was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for a picture of her at a protest found on her Tinder profile. Another man was fined for featuring a picture of the Lithuanian Pahonya emblem. "I don't think Tinder wants to see in the news that someone was arrested for a picture in their service," Mozheyko said, "and it is not entirely clear how the company should act correctly in this case: should they cooperate with authorities, human rights activists? In this case, it is easier to just walk away from the market."

So, how will Belarussians find love now? 

DW spoke to Belarussian Tinder users to get their reactions. Inessa, 27, recently found love on Tinder. She said she did not particularly care about Tinder leaving, but was hopeful local alternatives would soon emerge.

A 33-year-old man from Minsk disagreed. He was upset by Tinder's decision, because the platform made it easy for him to meet girls. But he saw a silver lining: "I saw that Russian celebrities were advertising some new application, just in time." Russian dating apps, such as Mamba, Tabor, and the Ukrainian-founded Pure, are popular in Belarus. But, if not, there's always good-old-fashioned real life.

Tinder and its sister apps left the Russian market on June 30, 2023.

You Might Also Like

Long, Long Repair
  • December 17, 2023

Long, Long Repair

It can take up to a year to get auto parts in Russia, due to Western sanctions.
Repression Impacts Lawyers
  • October 17, 2023

Repression Impacts Lawyers

A court in Moscow has ordered the arrest of lawyers representing Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, charging them with participation in an "extremist community."
Taken from Home to Belarus
  • July 24, 2023

Taken from Home to Belarus

Children from Russian-annexed Ukraine are being sent to camps in Belarus. Many don't return.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955