(FreedomBeacon.com)- In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some U.S. governors have ordered state-owned liquor stores to stop selling any Russian-made or Russian-branded vodkas. The largely symbolic move is part of a wider global effort to hurt the Russian economy so much that either Russian President Vladimir Putin withdraws his troops or his own people turn out in protest against the government and push him to reconsider his decision.
Governors of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Ohio ordered the boycott of Russian vodkas in state-owned liquor stores. A similar decision was made in Canada when the Ontario liquor control board removed all Russian products from its 679 stores.
Utah governor Spencer Cox said on Sunday that Russia’s “ruthless attack on a sovereign nation” constitutes an “egregious violation of human rights” and that his state stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
The most popular Russian-made vodkas in the United States are made by Green Mark and Russian Standard, but thankfully, there are plenty of U.S.-made vodkas and even more fantastic vodka imports from neighboring Eastern European countries like Poland.
It may be a drop in the ocean – with Russian vodkas making up just $18.5 million of the total $1.4 billion vodka import market in the United States, but hopefully these decisions compound and put a crippling strain on President Vladimir Putin and his regime.
