Russian Standard vodka, pictured here at the 2013 after-party for the film’s premiere in Los Angeles Green jasmine, owned by Russia. Several governors have ordered the brand to be banned from liquor store shelves in their states.
Todd Williamson / Invision for Sony Classics / AP
hide captions
switch captions
Todd Williamson / Invision for Sony Classics / AP
Russian Standard vodka, pictured here at the 2013 after-party for the film’s premiere in Los Angeles Green jasmine, owned by Russia. Several governors have ordered the brand to be banned from liquor store shelves in their states.
Todd Williamson / Invision for Sony Classics / AP
As governments around the world ramp up penalties against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, businesses and consumers are countering the country with their own sanctions.
An increasing number of Russian businesses, organizations and individuals are facing boycotts because of their country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The removal of vodka from shelves is largely symbolic
Governments and alcohol regulators across North America have proposed or enacted boycotts of Russian vodka.
Governor of both Utah and New Hampshire Last week ordered Russian-branded and Russian-made vodka that must be pulled onto the shelves in government-run liquor stores. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine switch to pause buying and selling of all vodkas sold by Russian Standard, a Russian-owned producer, under two names in the state.
One of the world’s largest wine buyers, Canada’s Ontario Liquor Board, says it remove all products Made in Russia from its 679 stores.
Boycotters say the steps are meant to show solidarity with Ukraine. But some have questioned the effectiveness of such protests in terms of economic pressure on Russia.
Paul Isely, a professor of economics at Grand Valley State University, told a Michigan ABC Television Station that a squeeze on Russia’s vodka companies is unlikely to hurt the country’s economy, let alone hurt Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Alcohol sales tracking company IWSR Drinks Market Analysis told NPR in the US that less than 1% of vodka consumed is produced in Russia.
But the anti-Russian solidarity shown by vodka boycotts is no small matter, Isely said.
“There’s this icon that says, yes, there’s a huge group of people who are supporting this by showing it and doing this kind of thing,” he told ABC. “By boycotting a product, it can help show people around the world that the United States is not divided by these things.”
Some establishments are confused about which products actually come from Russia. A ski resort in Vermont Bar staff are not alone in pouring Stolichnaya down the drain. But as Mark Schrad, an associate professor of political science at Villanova University, notes, the American drink Stoli vodka is actually made in Latvia. A similar boycott in 2013, before the Sochi Olympics, also affect the distiller.
“The only Russian brands you can find on store shelves are Russian Standard and Green Mark, but even their sales in North America do not,” says Schrad, who wrote the 2014 book. represent only a small fraction of their total global sales,” said Schrad, who wrote the 2014 book Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State. “So even if you start mixing your martinis with Absolut or Ketel One instead of Russian Standard, it really won’t make much of a difference, especially when compared to some business sanctions. major national economy has been applied. Russia.”
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, said that recent vodka boycotts from American and Canadian businesses “certainly have not been enough”. in a Sunday interview with ABC This week.
However, Markarova pressed American businesses to take action against Russia and demanded that the United States and its allies grant more sanctions.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Sunday order state agency cease doing business with Russian entities. Many businesses have taken a stance.
Several sports federations are cutting ties with Russia
FIFA on Sunday prolong international competitions will be held on Russian soil “until further notice,” while allowing “home” matches to take place on neutral ground without spectators.
The international governing body for football says the country must play under the name of its federation, the Russian Football Federation, and without a flag and anthem.
FIFA’s decision has drawn criticism from European football federations that are implementing more restrictive bans against Russia. Cezary Kulesza, president of the Polish football federation, called FIFA’s decision “completely unacceptable,” in a tweet.
“We are not interested in participating in this appearance match. Our stance remains the same: The Polish national team will NOT PLAY against Russia, regardless of the team’s name,” Kulesza tweeted.
Poland, along with the Czech Republic and Sweden are refuse to play Russia in qualifying matches of the World Cup 2022. The Football Association of England says their national football teams won’t play Russia to the foreseeable future.”
One of Putin’s favorite sports, ice hockey, is not immune. On Sunday, Latvian Club Dinamo Riga withdrew from the Russian-owned and operated Kontinental Hockey Federation in response to a “military and humanitarian crisis.”
Pro-Moscow voices are also a target
Protests have also spread in the art world. The Metropolitan Opera said on Sunday that they will end their relationship with artists who support Russian President Putin. The news follows a similar move from the Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Symphony, with the latter giving conductor Valery Gergiev until Monday to withdraw support for the attack. Russia’s military, otherwise it will be fired. The conductor has been removed from previous performances because of his pro-Putin stance.
