Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the global community is banding together to condemn the war and show their support for the Ukrainian people. This is how:
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Sport
Paralympics
The International Paralympic Committee were initially going to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in this year’s Winter Paralympics under a neutral banner and with no place on the medal table. However, after protests and threats of boycott from other competing nations, the IPC has had to reverse its decision and ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in Beijing.
Formula One
The FIA announced that Russian and Belarusian drivers could continue to race under a neutral flag. However, Motorsport UK has completely banned drivers and teams from the two countries from competing in this year’s British Grand Prix, including Russian Formula One driver Nikita Mazepin. The Formula One has also cancelled the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.
Football
The UEFA Champions League final will now be played in Paris, after Russia was stripped of the match. Following intense public pressure, the UEFA has moved the game from St. Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena to the Paris' Stade de France.
Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from all competitions by FIFA and UEFA. The Russian Football Union said it will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal the ban.
Arts
Ballet
The Royal Opera House has cancelled the summer season of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet. The ballet company, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world, had 21 scheduled performances in July and August.
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia has also cancelled its remaining UK tour dates. Theatres in Bristol, Wolverhampton, Northampton, Edinburgh, Bournemouth, Southend, and Peterborough have already cancelled performances by the ballet company.
Eurovision
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has made a u-turn, announcing that Russia would no longer be allowed to participate in this year’s Eurovision song contest. The decision was made after state broadcasters from countries including Ukraine, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands all called for Russia to be banned from the contest.
Read more:
⋙ Eurovision: Ukraine asks that Russia be removed from the competition
⋙ War in Ukraine: This is how members of the Royal Family have reacted
⋙ War in Ukraine: This Ukrainian brewery sells 'Putin is d***head' craft beer
Tech
Apple
Apple has halted all product sales in Russia. The tech giant has also limited Apple Pay, blocked App Store downloads of state-backed news outlets RT and Sputnik from outside Russia, and disabled both traffic and live incidents on Apple Maps in Ukraine as a ‘safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens’.
Fellow tech companies Google and Twitter are also limiting their business in Russia.
Entertainment
Netflix
Streaming service Netflix has paused all projects and acquisitions from Russia. It has also refused to add Russian broadcasters to its service, defying a new regulation that requires services with more than 100,000 subscribers to carry some 20 state-backed channels.
Disney, Warner Bros, and Sony have also halted film releases in Russia, including The Batman, Pixar's Turning Red, and Marvel's Morbius.
Retail
Retail giants H&M and ASOS have suspended all sales in Russia, while IKEA has closed all its stores in the country and has stopped sourcing materials from Russia and Belarus.
