23 private companies that are stepping up to help Ukraine

When Russia invaded Ukraine, governments across the west issued sanctions to crippled Putin's economy and show their disgust at the war.

But private companies also made policy changes of their own to distance themselves from the regime.

Here are 23 who have stepped up and taken a stance:

Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Levi's

Levi's has stopped selling its products to the Russian market, where 2 per cent of its net revenues come from, it said.

The American clothing company said in a statement that it will also donate $300,000 in humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees and pledged to support its employees, partners and their families who are affected by the decision to halt sales.

It is also offering “two-to-one match” of employees’ donations up to US$200,000 to a number of organisations that are “committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable communities get the support they need”.

The retailer said it “continues to be saddened by the devastating conflict in Ukraine and our thoughts are with all of those who have been affected, including our employees, partners and their loved ones”.

Eurostar

Eurostar is offering free travel to Ukrainians travelling to London, providing they have a valid visa.

Sainsbury's

As well as removing Russian vodka from its shelves, the supermarket has renamed its chicken kiev product to chicken Kyiv - to put it in line with the Ukrainian spelling of the city.

M&S

M&S is suspending sales in Russia, donating money to humanitarian projects and enabling customers to donate at the till.

This is what the supermarket had to say in a statement:

“Given the unfolding humanitarian crisis following the invasion of Ukraine, M&S has suspended shipments to our Turkish franchisee’s Russian business. We are doing everything we can to support the people of Ukraine and in response to the growing refugee crisis, we are building on our existing support for UNICEF UK’s Ukraine appeal with a £1.5m package to support the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UNICEF to help children and families in need. This is made up of a kickstart £0.5m donation to UNHCR with a further £0.5m for matched fundraising for all our global colleagues and double donations on Sparks transactions to support UNICEF; and activation of till-point and online giving in the UK. We are also providing practical help through UNHCR; donating 20,000 units of coats and thermals for families in need totalling a further £0.5m.”

PayPal

PayPal has paused onboarding new customers in Russia and is speeding up financial transfers to Ukraine, it has said.

Starbucks

<p>Starbucks</p> Getty

Starbucks hasn't closed any of its 130 stores in Russia but it has announced plans to donate any royalties received from its business operations in Russia to humanitarian relief efforts for Ukraine.

Chanel

This luxury fashion company is ceasing trading in Russia.

Gucci

As is Gucci.

Nike

Nike also isn't trading in the country.

Co-op

Co-op has got rid of Russian Standard vodka with immediate effect "as a sign of solidarity with the people of Ukraine".

In a statement they added: "Our members and customers will also be able to support the humanitarian response to help those displaced by the conflict by donating at our stores to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal."

Asos

In a statement, the company said: "Asos’s priority is the safety of its colleagues and partners in Ukraine and Russia.

“Against the backdrop of the continuing war, Asos has decided that it is neither practical nor right to continue to trade in Russia, and has therefore today suspended our sales there.Nike

Boohoo

Boohoo issued a similar statement, explaining it will no longer trade in the country.

Airbnb

<p>Airbnb</p> AFP via Getty Images

Airbnb's chief executive Brian Chesky said the company was suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.

Earlier this week Chesky said the company would work with hosts to help house up to 100,000 Ukrainians forced to flee their homes and would waive all booking fees in the country.

He called for people "in nearby countries, including Poland, Germany, Hungary and Romania" to offer in their homes using the platform.

Meanwhile, Airbnb users have been booking properties in Ukraine with no intention of staying there as a way of sending money to hosts.

Apple

Apple has paused product sales and limited Apple Pay and other services. In Ukraine, it has also "disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps" amid concerns that Russia could attack locations where large groups were gathering.

Outside of Russia the company has removed the RT and Sputnik apps from the App Store.

In a statement the company said: "We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence."

It seemed this Russian man - who filmed himself smashing up his iPad - wasn't that bothered, though.

Google

Like Apple, Google has made some changed to traffic incidents to protect Ukrainians. It has also updated its search and maps services in Ukraine to provide alerts to UN resources for people searching for refugee and asylum information, and has blocked RT and Sputnik on YouTube in Europe.

Meta

Or Facebook if you'd prefer. Meta has also blocked RT and Sputnik in Europe and is fact-checking content posted about the conflict on its platforms, and taking down posts when necessary.

They are also stepping up their privacy and security game to stay clear of hackers.

Electronic Arts

The company behind FIFA has also stopped sales in Russia.

Microsoft

As well as halting product sales, and removing RT from its app store, the company said it has been and will continue to detect and advise the Ukrainian government about cyber attacks.

Netflix

<p>Netflix </p> Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Netflix is no longer available for the million subscribers in Russia. A spokesperson said: "Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia."

Snap

The company behind Snapchat has stopped advertising in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus but will continue to operate in the country "as it remains an important communications tool for family and friends", according to a statement.

The company will continue to monitor for disinformation and other misuse, it added.

TikTok

The platform has banned RT and Sputnik in the EU as per a European Union legal instruction said it was also suspending livestreaming and new video content uploads from Russia as a result of the country's new "fake news" law.

TikTok added that it will begin applying labels to content from some state-controlled media accounts.

Twitter

Twitter has temporarily paused advertising in Ukraine and Russia and is labeling content from Russian state accounts.

Ikea

Ikea is suspending sales in Russia and Belarus but the Swedish retailer confirmed it would keep its Mega shopping centres open to allow access for essentials, such as food shops and pharmacies.

“The devastating war in Ukraine is a human tragedy and our deepest empathy and concerns are with the millions of people impacted.”

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.