I don't know about anyone else. but I nor our business, is any longer buying anything remotely Russian.
This is not so much choosing to take a side, but merely not wanting to be seen as condoning recent events.
'Hands off Ukraine!' Russian protesters, celebrities risk arrest to denounce Putin's war (yahoo.com)
I mentally listed the following as at least a starting point to support Ukraine against this invasion:
- Donation to Ukraine through a verified legitimate fund/charity (making absolutely certain that the money is going to Ukraine) for defence or humanitarian aid purposes;
- Raising money through sausage sizzles, fêtes, concerts, fundraisers, or by whatever means we can;
- Tagging events that either raise money OR awareness with the appropriate tags on social media (although I don't think this is enough on its own; however, social media is now a powerful tool for persuasion);
- Checking social media and news just to be sure that whatever stories and reports any of us share, we've done some searching to minimise the chance of spreading faked information (because if we share faked stuff, it will be used at the very least by Russian propaganda to cast further doubt on legitimate news, photos, videos and reports);
- Doing what we can to exert pressure on Russia's government;
- Doing our best to support the sanctions by not buying anything Russian; and
- Praying.
As average Australian citizens, of course there's not much we can do in terms of personally exerting pressure. It's the Russian government and the military that are the enemy. I don't feel animosity towards the Russian people who are, after all, being lied to by their own government on a massive scale. I do - oh, how I do! - want to help in bringing balance to the information they are receiving - which is a hard sell indeed, given the unprecedented news restrictions imposed by Russian state media. And... I want to help Ukraine in fighting this battle.
I can think of several things that I am able to do personally. I will do them. Some I'm already doing.
I am confident that most people who read these boards are doing or will be doing what they can.
Overall, I hope that there will be a speeding up globally of lessening reliance on oil. Can we hasten the adoption of new technology that will use solar energy, wind energy, electric batteries, clean energy? That would make an enormous difference; Russia would then be facing a very powerful drop in demand for its oil.
I want to see the Putin regime removed; Vladimir Putin has gone too far. Russia deserves a better leader than this, and there's one man who I think is particularly well suited. Unfortunately he's had assassination attempts against him, been poisoned, survived by a miracle, went back to Russia, and was then imprisoned and now sentenced with trumped-up charges. I don't think we'd be seeing an invasion of Ukraine if Алексей Навальный were in power.
