AP News, March 1, 2022, From banking to sports to vodka, Russia’s isolation grows
In barely three days, Russia has become an international outcast because of its invasion of Ukraine, and its leader is finding himself with fewer and fewer foreign friends. What’s more, the actions against Moscow are happening in diverse, far-reaching ways that are remarkable for — and in some cases helped along by — the extremely connected world in which we live.
European nations, notably united on the issue, have closed their airspace to Russian planes. The SWIFT international financial system, which enables billions of dollars in transactions for more than 11,000 banks and other institutions around the world, restricted key Russian banks from its network over the weekend — a potential body blow to Russian finances.
Less directly impactful but no less resolute were efforts by several U.S. states — Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia and Maine among them — to purge liquor outlets of Russian vodka and other products. Some states, like Pennsylvania, also took steps Monday toward divesting any Russia-related holdings.
