The Cancellation of Russia

Anti-Russian sentiments are reaching cold-war highs.  

The paralympic games: On Wednesday, the Paralympic Winter games' organizers banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing.

In art: The Cannes International Film Festival banned Russian art delegates. In Germany, a Russian chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic was fired.

In Canada: The government grounded a plan with Russian citizens on them and detained the flight.

In Russia: Russians have been blocked from using ApplePay and credit cards like Mastercard and Visa. Among other tech companies, Apple also stopped providing some services and selling to the country (meanwhile, Apple is based in human-rights-violating China.)

Big picture: There are multiple kinds of sanctions. Some target the wealthy ruling class, like Putin and his oligarchs, and others target the country's people and bring famine with societal collapse. As the West leans heavier into sanctions, it's important to remember that this is another kind of warfare, with real implications on ordinary people.