Vodka removed and ‘We do not support Russia’ signs displayed in Wichita liquor store
You’re not going to find any Russian vodka on the shelves at a northeast Wichita liquor store, at least not until Russian President Vladimir Putin stops his unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
Signs on the shelves at Jacob Liquor Exchange at 29th and Rock Road say: “We do not support Russia.”
Jamie Stratton, a partner of the business, said they pulled more than 100 bottles, retailed at more than $3,000, off the shelves Friday morning. It’s going to sit in the back room, at least until the war in Europe is resolved.
“As a business owner, that’s not an easy decision to make, but at the end of the day it really is an easy decision,” he said. “The people of Ukraine have done nothing to deserve what’s happening to them.”
He poured out a $20 bottle of Russian vodka as a symbolic gesture Friday morning.
“I’m a little bit emotional about it this morning,” he said. “It made me feel really good to pour it out.”
He said the store would still sell the Russian vodka to an adamant customer, but he thinks Americans won’t want to support Russian brands of liquor or other merchandise. He also hopes other liquor stores will follow suit and remove Russian brands from the shelves.
He’s recommending store patrons instead buy Khor, a Ukrainian vodka.
The Ontario government on Friday asked the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which is one of the world’s largest buyers of alcohol, to remove all Russian products from its stores, according to CTV News.
Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this week. U.S. President Joe Biden has announced sanctions on Russia to hinder the country’s financial ability to support a war. He also promised financial support to Ukraine but has emphatically stated that U.S. troops would not enter the war.
Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO represented a dire threat to Russia, The New York Times report reported Putin saying.
Putin has warned anyone who tries to intervene.
“Anyone who tries to interfere with us, or even more so, to create threats for our country and our people, must know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history,” the Times reported Putin saying. “We are ready for any turn of events.”
Videos from Ukraine have shown missiles being dropped on cities and daytime gunfights.
Thousands of Russians have taken to the streets to protest the war.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Vodka removed and ‘We do not support Russia’ signs displayed in Wichita liquor store."