Crimean gamers blocked from World of Warcraft, Steam due to U.S. sanctions

Shaky international relations is preventing Crimeans stuck between Ukraine and Russia from playing some of the most popular games in the world.

Last year, United States President Barack Obama issued an executive order that limited the business that U.S. companies could do in Crimea. This was part of an effort to indirectly punish Russia and its economy for invading the territory and annexing it from Ukraine. This led to corporations like Apple and Google pulling all of their services from the region, and now game publisher Blizzard has done the same. Crimean game fans can no longer log into their accounts for World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Diablo III, and more.