Informal, symbolic protests have always been a hallmark of war as citizens feeling powerless look for ways to show who they are standing with. 

Americans renamed sauerkraut “liberty cabbage”, hamburgers “liberty sandwiches” and German measles “liberty measles” during the First World War. Republican congressmen infamously renamed French fries “freedom fries” and French toast “freedom toast” in their basement canteen in 2003 to express their fury at French opposition to the US-led war in Iraq. 

German linguists then called on the nation to retaliate by using French words in place of their English equivalents. Today, Vladimir Putin’s horrifying invasion of Ukraine has led to many similar acts of defiance. 

Restaurants in Quebec have rebranded the name of the famous French-Canadian dish poutine (chips, cheese and gravy) after realising that it sounds like Putin in French. 

Russian vodka was pulled from supermarket shelves and bars even before the US unveiled a ban on imports of vodka, diamonds and seafood. Russian caviar has been binned at upmarket UK restaurants. Firms have rebranded to end any association with Russia.

The tidal wave of boycotts shows support for Ukraine as Putin’s barbaric war reaches new lows, but there are fears that individuals and companies coming up with their own daily penalties could end up feeling disdain for an entire nation rather than that of a ruthless dictator. 

In recent weeks a professor in Prague has refused to teach any Russian students, a Russian-themed restaurant in Washington has been vandalised, Russian parents in London have said their children are being bullied at school and a young Russian piano prodigy was banned from a concert in Montreal despite speaking out against the war. 

Russians working in London, many of whom are young and left because they did not want to live under Putin’s dictatorship, say they have had to make clear to colleagues that they are just as horrified by the war on Ukraine as everyone else is. Some have fallen out with parents who support the invasion. Very few are the children of Russian oligarchs or politicians.  

Although many Russians working in the UK say they have felt nothing but support from their colleagues, emotions are high and tensions are rising. Staff with family in Ukraine are going through unimaginable pain while Russians are watching their homeland become increasingly isolated. 

Authorities in Russia have clamped down hard on anti-war demonstrators, even arresting terrified children, while Russian mothers have accused Putin of deploying their sons as “cannon fodder” in his invasion. 

Russians living in London say they feel their country has returned to dark days which they had hoped were behind them. 

Most Western companies, having realised that corporate gobbledygook won’t cut it during a brutal war, have rightly taken a stance by pulling out of Russia. 

They have acknowledged that standing on the sidelines during a growing humanitarian crisis is unacceptable and action must be taken. Now they need to ensure that the unprecedented steps taken to protest against the Kremlin does not validate anger at ordinary Russians.