The products being removed by UK supermarkets after the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Vodka is among the products being targeted
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A number of UK supermarkets have removed Russian products from their shelves in response to the war being waged in Ukraine.
Sainsbury’s and Waitrose are among the British retailers who have taken action as Russia continues to attack its neighbour with strikes on cities and fighting across the country.
It comes as a growing number of companies move to cut ties with Russia in a stand against the war - which is estimated to have killed hundreds of civilians and displaced more than a million since it was launched last week.
On Friday, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson said the supermarket stood “united with the people of Ukraine”.
“We have reviewed our product range and have decided to remove from sale all products that are 100% sourced from Russia,” they said.
“This means that from today we will no longer sell two products – Russian Standard vodka and Karpayskiye black sunflower seeds.”
On the same day, John Lewis Partnership - which runs department store John Lewis and supermarket Waitrose - said it was removing products made in Russia from sale.
“This means that, from today, we will no longer sell two products - one Russian Vodka in Waitrose and one line of pizza oven pellets in John Lewis,” the company said in a statement.
“We’re working with our suppliers to review products that have components of Russian origin and will be seeking to mitigate further exposure to the region.”
A spokesperson for Aldi told The Independent the supermarket chain had removed Russian-sourced vodka from its shelves.
The Co-op said on Friday its supermarkets were making the same move. “In response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces and as a sign of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we have taken the decision to remove from sale Russian-made vodka. It will not be stocked for the foreseeable future,” it said in a statement.
Asda confirmed it will stop selling products that originate from Russia in light of the invasion of Ukraine, but did not name specific items.
Meanwhile a Tesco spokesperson said it would not be “buying products from businesses that are wholly Russian owned”.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments