Videos showing Russian shoppers fighting each other in supermarkets over sugar have gone viral on the internet. Some stores in the country have imposed a limit of 10 kg per customer due to the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. Sugar prices have skyrocketed and annual inflation in Russia has reached its highest level since 2015. Many of the videos released show crowds of people fighting and jostling to get bags of sugar from shopping carts. These videos have made their way to Twitter, highlighting the difficulties ordinary citizens face as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
ахарные ои в Мордоре продолжаются pic.twitter.com/hjdphblFNc
— 10 (@buch10_04) March 19, 2022
Russian government officials have insisted that there is no sugar shortage and that the crisis arose from the panic of consumers buying in stores along with sugar manufacturers hoarding to inflate the price, as reported by Reuters news agency in conversation with anti-trust officials. monopoly organization FAS. However, the government has also imposed a temporary ban on sugar exports from the country.
The price of sugar has risen by no less than 31 percent, but Western sanctions are also making a number of other products more expensive. Many western companies have left Russia and therefore there is a huge shortage of imported foreign goods such as cars, household items and televisions. The Russian government has tried to curb inflation by introducing currency controls, but these seem in vain as prices are steadily rising across the country and many citizens are suffering.