Russians urged not to panic buy sugar and buckwheat

Russia has plenty of sugar and buckwheat, a senior official insisted Monday, urging the public not to panic buy staple foods due to President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops into Ukraine.

Washington and Brussels’ coordinated response over the Ukraine conflict has made Russia the most sanctioned country in the world, sending the ruble into free-fall and accelerating already spiralling inflation.

Unprecedented Western sanctions have sparked hectic scenes at supermarkets, with customers bulk-buying long-life essentials such as buckwheat, a popular toasted grain that can be eaten both as a side dish or a main course.

“I want to calm our citizens: we are fully self-sufficient when it comes to sugar and buckwheat,” deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko told a government meeting in remarks broadcast on television.

“There is no need to panic-buy these goods. There is enough for everybody. Panic-buying only destabilises the distribution network,” she said.

Images of empty shelves and Russians standing in long lines to buy sugar have circulated on social media in recent days.

Abramchenko said that Russia this year planned to sow more sugar beet and buckwheat.

“This means that the new harvest will ensure the availability of sugar and buckwheat on the shelves of stores, and Russian confectioners and bakers will receive the necessary amount of sugar,” Abramchenko added.

She also said there were no food shortages in Russia, adding that the authorities would ramp up imports of supplies from “friendly countries.”

On February 24, Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine, triggering unprecedented Western sanctions against Russia and sparking an exodus of foreign corporations including H&M, McDonald’s and IKEA.

Officials in Moscow have sought to downplay the gravity of the Western penalties, promising that Russia will adapt. Putin has said that the country will emerge stronger from the crisis.