The company that owns Stolichnaya vodka, one of the most iconic vodka brands, on Monday announced that it is rebranding in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, Luxembourg-based Stoli Group said the “major rebrand” is in “direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” From now on, the vodka will exclusively be sold and marketed globally as “Stoli” with the exception of Russia where Stolichnaya is owned by Soyuzplodoimport, a firm owned by the Russian state. Stoli Group did not state exactly when the rebrand would take effect. Yuri Shefler, the billionaire founder of Stoli Group was exiled from Russia in 2000 because of his opposition to President Vladimir Putin and said he has “personally experienced persecution by Putin’s regime.” Shefler bought the struggling Stoli brand in 1997 but in 2000, in what Shefler says was “one of the first examples of the regime identifying a valuable asset and attempting to wrest control of …