International Olympic Committee Calls For Russia & Belarus Sporting Ban

Influencers in Russia are speaking out about the Instagram ban in the country amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Instagram's ban went into effect Monday. Popular social media stars who have amassed millions of followers posted tearful videos in which they hinted that their livelihoods as they knew it have been upended.

J. Kim Murphy The Kyiv-based Molodist International Film Festival has penned an open letter to the film community calling on other festivals to join in a boycott of Russian films as a response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces.The festival’s statement cites an ongoing effort by modern Russia to “separate culture from politics” and to “[use] that same culture to distract the West from Russia’s wars, human rights violations, censorship and persecution of political dissidents.”“There are Russian filmmakers and intellectuals who have been truly vocal in their dissent and criticism of Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine throughout these years, and we know some of them personally,” the statement reads.

Pink Floyd and David Gilmour are removing their music from streaming services in Russia and Belarus to show their support for Ukraine.Ukraine officially severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation on February 24. At the time of writing, the Russian invasion has killed at least 549 citizens, including 41 children.

Take-Two Interactive has stopped its business with the Russian market amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.According to GamesIndustry.biz all game sales, marketing and services have been pulled from Russia and Belarus. According to Newzoo data shared with GamesIndustry.biz, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 5 – which is owned by Take-Two – is the third most popular game in Russia based on monthly users.Take-Two’s decision follows the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24 and sees the company joining the likes of EA, Microsoft, CD Projekt Red and Epic Games in its decision to stop market dealings with Russia.Take-Two vice president of corporate communications Alan Lewis said: “We have watched recent events unfold in Ukraine with concern and sadness.”“After significant consideration, last week, we decided to stop new sales, installations, and marketing support across all our labels in Russia and Belarus at this time.”The Nintendo eShop has also stopped processing payments and gone into what is being called “maintenance mode” in Russia, although as of publication it is unclear if this is Nintendo’s sole doing or that of a third party.Elsewhere, Take-Two has been served a lawsuit concerning the use of loot boxes in its NBA 2K games, with the plaintiff seeking £3.7million in damages.The case says that the “defendant’s unfair, deceptive and unlawful practices, including illegal gambling practices, deceive, mislead and harm consumers”.

Subscription streaming service Netflix has joined the Russia boycott.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent shockwaves around the world. Amid the chaos and destruction, the international distribution community, which we record, is reacting in real time with dismay and uncertainty. The human impact is stark and overwhelming. Inevitably, there are significant consequences for local businesses.

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from the Winter Paralympics in Beijing in a stunning u-turn taken 24 hours after they were given the greenlight to compete, as the invasion of Ukraine enters its second week.

The international union that governs skating said Tuesday that it was following the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee in banning athletes from Russia and Belarus from its competitions across the sports of figure skating and speed skating. It becomes the latest organization in the sports world to take action since Russia began its military invasion of Ukraine.

Ashton Kutcher called out Russian media for "lying" as the country continues to invade Ukraine. Kutcher has continued to show his support for Ukraine on social media. His wife, Mila Kunis, was born in the country and lived there right until the fall of the Soviet Union.

Following the IOC, FIFA  and other major professional sports leagues, the international governing bodies of tennis, ATP, WTA and ITF, on Tuesday morning issued a statement addressing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has been aided by Belarus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t escape the Saturday Night Live treatment this week. The 69-year-old was spoofed by Colin Jost on the Saturday, Feb. 27 episode, where the ‘Weekend Update’ host got in multiple shots as he spoke about Putin’s current spearheading of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After retreating on Thursday due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. stock markets rebounded sharply today as bargain-hunters bought in and investors cheered news of possible diplomatic talks.

BBC News).Russian military vehicles are reported to have breached the Ukrainian border in a number of locations, including from neighbouring Belarus, while air strikes on Ukrainian military positions and border posts have been reported.The actions of Putin, who has claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine and that his country’s actions amount to a “special military operation”, have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe.AP reports that while global powers are preparing strong new sanctions against Russia, a co-ordinated military intervention to defend Ukraine is not being considered presently.Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.— President Biden (@POTUS) February 24, 2022US President Joe Biden has pledged “severe” sanctions on Russia, saying in a statement that Ukraine is “suffering an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces” and that “Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.This is a catastrophe for our continent.

The 2022 Beijing Olympics concluded Sunday with icy fanfare,  a spirited speech from International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach and an audience count that pales in comparison to previous Winter games.