A look on Russia-imposed sanctions following Ukraine offensive

From sanctions on media broadcasts, sports, business to technology, several nations demonstrated solidarity with Ukraine, in response to the Russian offensive that began February 24.

Nearly 368,000 refugees have fled fighting in Ukraine for neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania, and the number “continues to rise,” according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s recent data.

Media

YouTube banned the broadcasts on March 1 of Russian state-controlled media RT and Sputnik across Europe, according to German Press Agency DPA.

This move came after RT and Sputnik faced frequent criticism in Western Europe for serving as Kremlin propaganda outlets.

“Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we are blocking YouTube channels linked to RT and Sputnik in Europe with immediate effect,” Youtube’s spokesperson said, according to the same source.

Sports

The International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) announced on February 27 several measures against Russia, including the ban of the Russian flag and anthem for the upcoming sporting events, mainly the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the six Confederation Presidents have unanimously decided to take immediate first measures, in line with recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Russia is supposed to host one or two World Cup 2022 qualifiers, scheduled for March 24 and 29, either the national teams of Poland, Sweden, or the Czech Republic, but the federations are now unable to travel because of the ongoing crisis.

Additionally, Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, set to take place from March 4 to 13, following the International Paralympic Committee’s decision.

Business

Many countries in Europe, America, and Asia took strict measures regarding trade and economy with Russia, including the UK, the US, Canada, South Korea, and Japan.

Canada decided to raise tariffs on Russian imports and will remove Russia and Belarus’ status as trade partners, said Canadian officials on February 3, reported Reuters.

South Korea also banned exports of strategic items to Russia, Seoul’s Foreign Minister stated in a statement on February 28, according to the same source.

Western European countries additionally decided to block some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system.

Hong Kong’s Crypto Exchange Binance company said it will not accept payments from Russian banks.

The US sneakers brand Nike decided on February 3 to close its stores temporarily in Russia, in a move to sanction its military operations in Ukraine.

The Swedish home furnishings firm IKEA also decided to close temporarily its outlets in Russia and Belarus, resulting in the loss of 15,000 jobs.

Brazilian plane-maker Airbus also joined the pre-stated companies to stop temporarily supplying Russian airlines.

Japan Airlines also said they will suspend flights to and from Russia, as well as the country’s Nissan carmaker to suspend exports.

Spanish Fashion ready-to-wear brand Mango also announced that it will temporarily shut down its shops and its online sale services to Russia.

Technology

The US rental company Airbnb suspended all operations on March 3 in Russia and Belarus.

The US technology services company Google also suspended all ad sales in Russia, in addition to Netflix, which suspended all joint projects with Russia.

The Swedish streaming platform Spotify temporarily closed its office in Russia.

The US business software Oracle corporation also suspended operations in Russia.

The US Apple technology maker company also suspended the sale of iPhones and all other products inside Russia, and will stop exports into the country, the company announced on March 1.

Ukraine has been torn from Russia, since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia launched military operations, following worries that the neighboring country might join NATO.