SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s governor on Saturday signed an executive order requiring the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to immediately remove all Russian-made and branded products from its shelves.
Governor Spencer Cox’s move was in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and mirrors moves by governors of other states.
“Russia’s reckless assault on a sovereign nation is an egregious violation of human rights,” Cox said in a statement announcing the executive order. “Utah stands in solidarity with Ukraine and will not support Russian companies, no matter how small the exchange.”
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu also signed an executive order requiring state liquor stores to remove Russian-made and branded alcohol. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine ordered the state’s Department of Commerce to stop buying and selling Russian Standard, the only Russian vodka sold in Ohio (under the Green Mark and Russian Standard brand names).
Bars and shops elsewhere in the US have also stopped selling Russian alcohol to protest events in Ukraine.
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