In the Russian city of Pakrov, many stores have already sold out their sugar stocks, and residents expect some goods to be no longer affordable as the impact of Moscow’s military invasion of Ukraine begins to be felt.
Faced with the worst economic crisis in more than 20 years, Moscow is telling its citizens that there is no shortage of food and urging them not to buy large quantities of consumer products such as sugar.
The message does not seem to be responding, however, to Pakrov, a city of 17,000 people 100 kilometers east of Moscow, where Alexei Navalny, the strongest critic of President Vladimir Putin, is being held.
A resident, Svetlana, bought 10 kilos of sugar in the city of Vladimir, an hour away, to ensure that she could preserve the berries she wanted to collect in the summer. “The price of sugar may not rise, but people are scared,” said the 57-year-old. “That’s why maybe everyone buys sugar.”
Behind it is a closed McDonald’s fast food restaurant, one of the many western stores that have closed in response to the invasion.
Four grocery stores belonging to two large chains in Pakrof had no sugar for sale, the shelves were either empty or full of other goods. Signs informed consumers that they can not buy more than 5 kg of sugar.
Antonina, a 71-year-old retiree, lives alone in Pakrov. She said her state pension was enough to cover her basic needs, but that she expected to be forced to change her eating habits. “I may not be able to buy fruit for a while.”
Another resident, Larissa, said that she has experienced several riots in her life and she is not afraid of the fact that she has to tighten her belt.
“I was born in the Soviet era,” he said. “It was perestroika then, after the 1990s, food stamps. We made it.”
Another woman, walking on a cane and wearing a mask loosely, also responded in a philosophical mood. “It does not matter if you do not eat until you are full,” he said, “as long as there is peace.”
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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