Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has called on Russians to take to the streets and demand to “stop the war” against Ukraine, calling President Vladimir Putin an "obviously insane czar."

“We must, gritting our teeth and overcoming fear, come out and demand an end to the war,” Navalny tweeted via a spokesperson to his 2.6 million followers Wednesd

Russia's largest lender Sberbank said Wednesday it was leaving the European market after coming under pressure from Western sanctions levelled against the state bank in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"In the current environment, Sberbank has decided to withdraw from the European market," the lender said in a statement carried by Russian

Russian metals company Severstal said Wednesday it was halting deliveries in Europe after the EU imposed sanctions on its main shareholder, metals magnate Alexei Mordashov.

"We are redirecting the flows of raw materials to alternative world markets," Russian news agencies quoted the company as saying in a statement.

It said the decision to stop

Apple, ExxonMobil and Boeing announced Tuesday in rapid succession steps to withdraw or freeze business in Russia as more U.S. corporate giants take action after the Ukraine invasion.

The moves — in diverse industries and following earlier announcements by Disney, Ford, Mastercard and others — highlight the rising economic toll on Russia after its a