INTERNATIONAL: Big American brands and well-known companies such as Apple, Google, Ford, Harley Davidson and Exxon Mobil, join the wave of corporate sanctions being made against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, as many investors and consumers continue to condemn the violence.

On Tuesday, 1 March, Apple Inc stated that it had halted all sales of iPhones and other Apple products in Russia. The company also added that it would be making changes to its Maps app to protect civilians in Ukraine. Another major tech firm, Alphabet Inc, also announced it had dropped Russian state-owned news publishers from its news features, such as the Google News search.

Additionally, Ford Motor Co., who has three joint venture factories in Russia, informed its Russian manufacturing partner of the suspension of operations in the country, and bike manufacturers Harley-Davidson also announced the suspension of all shipments of its bikes to Russia.

Multinational oil and gas corporation, Exxon Mobil, has also said it would be discontinuing its operations in Russia, and, following in the footsteps of British companies Shell and BP, would be taking steps to exit the Sakhalin-1 venture.