MOSCOW: Russian pensioner Roman Paltievich stared at the prices for apricots, tomatoes and watermelons stacked high on stalls at a Moscow market \u2013 foods that he now struggles to fit into his budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prices are crazy,\u201d lamented the 84-year-old, who said he can no longer afford cherries \u2013 or even potatoes, a staple that is now three times more expensive than a year ago.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s three-year-long military offensive on Ukraine has caused inflation to surge at home, a thorn in the side for the Kremlin, which strives to shield Russians from the fallout of its campaign.<\/p>\n
Western sanctions have disrupted supply chains and dozens of consumer brands have left the country, while inflation is now running above 10 percent.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, deep labor shortages caused by massive recruitment by the army and arms manufacturers, have seen both salaries and prices jump higher.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s Central Bank last week cut interest rates from a two-decade high, saying inflation \u2013 including food prices \u2013 was starting to come under control.<\/p>\n
But for many hard-pressed Russians, it does not feel that way.<\/p>\n
Paltievich\u2019s wife, Tatyana, stood next to him clutching a small punnet of strawberries \u2013 a precious treat for her grandchildren that set her back 400 rubles ($5).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe survived 1991, so now we\u2019re not afraid of anything,\u201d she said defiantly, in reference to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the economic chaos that followed.<\/p>\n
Many of those navigating the aisles at Moscow\u2019s Preobrazhensky market were also worried about high prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here to buy chicken for my granddaughter. It\u2019s more expensive in the supermarkets, so I don\u2019t buy there anymore,\u201d Nikolai Kucherov, a 62-year-old freelance artist said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to forget about traveling. For the past three or four years, I\u2019ve only been thinking about filling up the fridge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin has hailed Russia\u2019s economic performance since it ordered its troops into Ukraine in February 2022.<\/p>\n
A huge surge in spending on the military has helped Moscow defy predictions that sanctions would collapse the Russian economy.<\/p>\n
Engineer Konstantin Zelenkov, 38, is one of those who have benefited from rising wages amid the government spending boom.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome things are becoming more expensive but salaries are rising too, so it\u2019s staying roughly the same,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina has also pointed to rising wages and on Friday said inflation was starting to moderate, though it remains well above the institution\u2019s four percent target.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe high interest rate has led to a significant slowdown in inflation,\u201d she told reporters.<\/p>\n
Overall \u201cthe rate of increase in food prices has slowed,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
But even Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced recently to address fears over a potato shortage that sent prices for the staple soaring.<\/p>\n
For many across Russia, price rises feel never-ending.<\/p>\n
\u201cStarting even with bread, everything is getting more and more expensive,\u201d Irina Yakovleva, 68, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just have to limit ourselves,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MOSCOW: Russian pensioner Roman Paltievich stared at the prices for apricots, tomatoes and watermelons stacked high on stalls at a Moscow market \u2013 foods that he now struggles to fit into his budget. \u201cThe prices are crazy,\u201d lamented the 84-year-old, who said he can no longer afford cherries \u2013 or even potatoes, a staple that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483585,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-483581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n