Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Potato price surge fuels inflation pain for Russia's poorest
The TsMAKP think tank, which advises the government, estimated inflation for the poor - calculated using basic food, utilities and medicine costs - exceeded 20% in April, ten percentage points above the official rate.
"The continued rapid increase in food prices has led to a significant divergence between the price index for the consumption basket of low-income populations and the overall inflation rate," TsMAKP said.
Pensioners make up more than a quarter of the population and the average monthly pension was 23,448 roubles ($298) in April. In real terms, it fell throughout last year before rising 1.4% since the start of 2025.
"Low-income individuals are hit much harder by inflation," said Sergei Aleksashenko, a former central bank official and opposition economist living in exile in the U.S., pointing to pensioners and public sector workers.
"The continued rapid increase in food prices has led to a significant divergence between the price index for the consumption basket of low-income populations and the overall inflation rate," TsMAKP said.
Pensioners make up more than a quarter of the population and the average monthly pension was 23,448 roubles ($298) in April. In real terms, it fell throughout last year before rising 1.4% since the start of 2025.
"Low-income individuals are hit much harder by inflation," said Sergei Aleksashenko, a former central bank official and opposition economist living in exile in the U.S., pointing to pensioners and public sector workers.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/potato-price-surge-fuels-inflation-pain-russias-poorest-2025-06-10/
Looks like Vlad is starving the people of Russia