Russia's Runaway Food Prices

Radio Free Europe ^ | 12/20/2024 | Ivan Gutterman

[marcusmaximus]

As Russians prepare to celebrate the New Year or the week of public holidays that follows, they might notice this year's festive bill at the supermarket come out to significantly more than last year's – especially for fans of sandwiches with butter and red caviar, a New Year's dinner staple in the country.

In October of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Russia was “spending too much money on guns and forgetting about butter,” prices of which have seen some of the biggest increases of all produce, growing by over 33 percent since the start of 2024.

Caviar, while far from being a staple food at almost 6,000 rubles (about $60) per kilo in December 2023, has shot up by over 50 percent this year to nearly 9,000 rubles per kilo. Potato prices, the basis of some of Russians' favorite New Year's dishes, like olivier salad and dressed herring, have increased the most – a kilo costs nearly twice as much as it did a year ago. Average prices for other basic goods, such as apples, herring, milk, oranges, and olive oil, have all increased by at least 15 percent in 2024, while olive oil, beetroot, and cabbage are up around 30 percent and red onions cost over 40 percent more than a year ago, according to official data.

-snip-

The price hikes have led the government to enter talks with retailers on implementing price reductions ahead of the New Year holidays, while Russian media have reported that cases of butter theft from stores have increased -- with police offering one woman allegedly caught stealing 29 blocks to avoid prosecution by volunteering for military service, a practice Putin legalized earlier this year as Russia seeks to recruit more people for the war in Ukraine.

[Karl Spooner]

Oh no! American in Russia can't afford potatoes!

.

https://youtube.com/shorts/A-msgLTzvCE?si=xPQ4Px4KXmXvYLNA

Todays price at warmart

[bimboeruption]

>>>>Here’s why it writes about irrelevant things these days.

From: DeepStateMap
Square kilometers taken by Russia this year:

Jan: 40
Feb: 118
Mar: 39
Apr: 131
May: 313
Jun: 108
Jul: 181
Aug: 363
Sep: 409
Oct: 490
Nov: 597<<<<

_________________________________________

Exactly.

[bimboeruption]

>>>>It will be a great day when Putin runs out of money to keep paying you Russian trolls<<<<

And it will be an even GREATER day for the American Taxpayer when your globohomo god, Zelensky, runs out of money to pay you zeepers, because President Trump brought his gravy train to a screeching halt.

[rxh4n1]

They’re on pace to reassemble the old Soviet Union in about 200 years. can we give this ridiculous claim a rest already?

[tennmountainman]

The price of butter and eggs have gone up very high in the U.S. too.

[TexasGator]

“I can name several products that are three times the price they were, two or three years ago.”

Please do.

[Vermont Lt]

You guys dont take Christmas off? Oh, now i remember, Christmas is two weeks away for the uncivilized hun.

[StayoutdaBushesWay]

We get eggs for around 7 cents each where we shop. When we go to the bigger grocery stores, we find them as cheap as 5 cents per egg.