Sainsbury’s drops Russian Standard Vodka and changes Chicken Kiev to Chicken Kyiv

Sainsbury’s has said it will drop Russian goods from its shelves and change the name of Chicken Kiev to Chicken Kyiv in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

The supermarket said on Friday it would stop stocking any items 100% sourced from Russia. The new policy will see two products disappear from shelves: Russian Standard vodka and Karpayskiye black sunflower seeds.

The company will also change the name of its own-brand Chicken Kiev to Chicken Kyiv, reflecting the Ukrainian spelling of the city. The move follows a growing social media campaign calling on supermarket to make the change. Sainsbury’s is the first major supermarket to do so.

A spokesperson said: “We stand united with the people of Ukraine.”

Earlier this week Sainsbury’s said it would donate £2 million to help Ukrainian refugees and the supermarket said today it would match charitable donations made through its Nectar app, up to a maximum of £500,000.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “This money will go directly to support the crisis in Ukraine via a range of measures including distributing care packages and ensuring there are child protection measures in place, donating essential supplies to the reception centres as well as medical, legal and trauma support.”

The boycott of Russian goods is part of a growing stand among companies in the West against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The likes of Apple, Nike, Ikea, BP and Shell have all cut tie with Russia over the last week, going above and beyond international sanctions.

JD Wetherspoon has said it will not stock any Russian beers in its pubs and earlier this week the CEO of Revolution Bars told the Evening Standard he was reviewing the chain’s supplies of Russian vodka.

Marks & Spencer said earlier this week it would stop supplying franchise stores in Russia and would donate £1.5 million to humanitarian aid in and around Ukraine.