The sanctions imposed on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine are taking a toll on the Russian people. A video of Russians fighting among themselves in a supermarket over sugar has gone viral on the internet. Due to shortage of sugar, some stores have imposed a limit of 10 kg per customer. Annual inflation in Russia has reached its highest level since 2015, causing skyrocketing prices of many food items, including sugar.
In the video, a crowd of people can be seen fighting and thrashing each other to get bags of sugar from the shopping cart. These videos are being shared a lot on social media. These are highlighting the hardships faced by ordinary citizens due to the Russo-Ukraine War.
ахарные ои в ордоре родолжаются pic.twitter.com/hjdphblFNc
— 10 квітня (@buch10_04) March 19, 2022
Government said – there is no shortage of sugar
Russian government officials have insisted there is no shortage of sugar. This crisis is arising out of people buying more in the shops. Also, Chinese manufacturers are hoarding to increase the price. However, the government has also put a temporary ban on the export of sugar from the country. The price of sugar has gone up by 31 percent.
Other products are also getting expensive
Other products are also becoming expensive due to western restrictions. Many Western-owned businesses have left Russia and therefore there is a severe shortage of foreign imported goods such as cars, household goods as well as televisions. The Russian government has tried to keep inflation under control by implementing currency controls, but these have been ineffective. The prices are continuously increasing all over the country, due to which the livelihood of the common people is becoming difficult.