Football, Eurovision and business rush to ditch links to Moscow over Ukraine invasion | Russia
The Royal Opera House cancelled a season of performances by Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Ballet, European football’s governing body took the Champions League final away from St Petersburg, and a host of Russian businesses were rocked by resignations of big-name European directors. In the hours and days following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it became clear that Russia is no longer a welcome member of western society.
For a long time, Russia appeared to be working tirelessly on its “soft power” credentials, spending billions of roubles to portray itself as a welcoming member of the international community, one that was a victim of western bias and “Russophobia”.
Despite the Crimean annexation of 2014 and the jailing of opposition leaders, the Kremlin often looked to be successful in its mission, winning the rights to host leading sporting and cultural events, giving it a global platform to carefully construct its image…
