(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) In late 2020, food prices and the Russian citizens’ access to staple foods have emerged as one of Putin’s main concerns. Over the last year, the price of pasta went up by 10 percent, sunflower oil by 24 percent, and sugar by more than 70 percent. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, an average Russian family spent about 40 percent of its budget on food, four times more than an American family did. Russians, especially outside the major cities, are hurting. The problem has not yet led to open discontent and protests, but the regime is clearly worried.
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