But Russia's red-hot wartime economy comes with a price: inflation, which hit 9.8% in September. The price hikes are trickling down to basic food items, with prices of potatoes — a Russian staple — surging this year by 64% as of November 5, according to official statistics. Potatoes' price surge stems from bad weather and the rising cost of production amid a labor shortage and rising wages. It's not just potatoes. The data from Rosstat, Russia's federal statistics service, show that food prices have generally risen across the board this year. In late October, economists on the MMI Telegram channel,...