The situation regarding the supply of the population in occupied Crimea is worsening. Against the backdrop of panic already caused by a lack of gasoline, residents of the peninsula have faced a new problem — an acute shortage of food products. As local residents report on social media, store shelves are rapidly emptying.
Artificial shortage and essential goods
According to data cited by RBK-Ukraine from the NEXTA Live Telegram channel and other public pages, an artificial shortage has begun in the retail network, provoked by panic sentiments. The first to be hit were essential goods. The list of scarce products includes:
- sugar;
- rice and buckwheat;
- salt and flour;
- oil and pasta.
Videos appearing on social media confirm the residents' words: there is indeed a clear lack of popular products on store shelves, and some items have disappeared entirely.
Purchase restrictions and logistics problems
The situation has reached the point where restrictions on sales have been introduced at some retail outlets. Now, no more than three units of a product are allowed to be purchased by one person. The reasons for these measures include both buyer panic and real logistics problems.
Recently, the media reported that the consequences of Ukraine's strikes on logistics hubs and oil depots began to directly affect retail trade in Crimea. Restrictions introduced in Sevastopol were mentioned then, but now the problem has covered a wider range of goods and the geography of the peninsula.
Fuel crisis and rationing system
The problem with food products is compounding the existing fuel crisis. Strict limits on gasoline purchases have been introduced in the territory of Crimea. Russian occupiers first restricted the sale of AI-95 fuel, and then AI-92.
The so-called "authorities" have prioritized only the supply of utility and social transport. Ordinary citizens are forced to buy gasoline with ration coupons, which only exacerbates the overall tension and panic among the population.