The Private Sector Joins Nations Around the World in Punishing Russia and Supporting Ukraine

     Vladimir Putin hoped that his invading Ukraine would divide Western allies and pave the way for his joining China in recreating a Soviet Union-like New World Order while making him extraordinarily loved at home. It appears he's failed on all counts. Russia's economy had been pitiful at best for 15 years. The Great Recession cut its GDP by eight percent, so Putin decided to distract from financial difficulties by launching military aggression against the nation of Georgia. In 2014, as the nation still had not yet recovered and as an anti-Putin government was swept into power in Ukraine, Putin invaded Crimea, prompting a wave of sanctions that cut Russia's GDP by two to three percent. That meets the definition of a successful sanctions regime; however, while Russia's GDP was essentially stunted from growing, the nation's economy learned to work around these sanctions. In 2020, yet another recession hit and Putin needed more nationalistic pride, so he turned to the Donbass region. 

     Putin obviously didn't expect this unified a response from world powers or for nations like CHINA and AFGHANISTAN to avoid praising Russia and instead call for peace. Hell, he has one puppet dictator in Belarus, and that's about it. He literally has less allies than Adolf Hitler did in World War II, and Belarus is more akin to Italy, which was dubbed "Europe's soft underbelly" by Winston Churchill, than Japan. One other thing he did not prepare for was the private sector in virtually every nation around the world joining in bolstering and praising Ukraine while seeking to punish Russia. In just the last 48 hours, here is a partial list of what has been done by the business and nonprofit sector:

1. Anonymous has announced an operation targeting Russia-- hacking RT, Russia's state-owned media company, and blasting pro-Ukraine images and music; taking down official government websites several times; and leaking sensitive Ministry of Defense information to the public.
2. YouTube has blocked RT and other government-owned channels from making ad revenue on their platform.
3. Major phone and internet providers around the world are providing free international calls to Ukraine to help the diaspora stay in touch with and assist their loved ones in the nation.
4. Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram among other social media platforms, has banned Russian state-owned media and other companies from advertising and monetizing on their platforms.
5. Wikipedia has invited experts and amateurs alike to help educate the world about Ukraine by contributing to its site during Ukraine's Cultural Diplomacy Month.
6. Russian performers have been banned from the annual Eurovision contest, representing a reversal by the competition's organizers.
7. Poland and Sweden's teams have announced that they will refuse to play Russia in the upcoming FIFA tournament.
8. Hundreds of major stores across North America are ditching Russian-made alcohol, prompting lawmakers in several states to consider banning it completely.
9. Formula One canceled the 2022 Russian Grand Prix.
10. Carnegie Hall has canceled a scheduled an appearance by pro-Putin Russian conductor and opera company director Valery Gergiev, prompting the Munich Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic to do the same.
11. Delta Airlines suspended its code sharing partnership with Aeroflot, Russia's national airline.
12. Intel, Dell, and Lenovo halted shipments of technology to Russia.
13. UEFA stripped Russia of its ability to host the Champions League finals; instead, the honor will go to Paris.
14. Several semiconductor manufacturing giants crucial to producing appliances and electronics, including TSMC, have halted shipments to Russia.
15. Premier League club Manchester United withdrew the sponsorship rights of Russian airline Aeroflot.
16. Starlink internet service has been provided for free to Ukrainians.