Viral: Russians fight over sugar fearing food shortage

A video of some Russian citizens fighting over bags of sugar, amid fears of food shortages after western sanctions, has gone viral over social media. 

Sanctions imposed by western countries over Russia after its invasion of Ukraine has caused the country’s economy to tank, igniting fears of food shortages among civilians.  Consequently, Russian civilians have started to resort to panic-buying.

A recent video, doing rounds over social media, shows some people fighting over bags of sugar in a Russian supermarket. The crown can be witnessed jostling, shouting and climbing over each other in an effort to grab sugar bags.

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Reportedly, prices of sugar in Russian have skyrocketed due to rising inflation in the country. Amid the situation, some stores have also imposed a limit of10 kg per customer. Sugar prices have risen drastically, with annual inflation in Russia hitting its highest level since 2015.

Сахарные бои в Мордоре продолжаются pic.twitter.com/hjdphblFNc

— 10 квітня (@buch10_04) March 19, 2022

On the other hand, the Russian government has denied claims of sugar shortage in the country. According to Reuters, the government says that the situation is the result of panic buying along with sugar manufacturers stockpiling to keep prices high.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday “Of course, not everyone can cope with their emotions, but if you know the real information, then you understand that there is absolutely no need to run around the shops to buy toilet paper, buckwheat, sugar, and so on.”

The Russian government has also imposed a ban on sugar exports from the country.