Russia economy meltdown as potato prices skyrocket after abysmal harvest season

The price of potatoes in Russia has soared by 52% since the start of the year, according to new figures. Imports have failed to offset the poor harvest last year, which saw the total potato crop decline by 12%, according to Reuters.

Heavy rain and a frosty spring this year has hit potato farmers, made worse by the fact the area of the country seeded for the crop was reduced after the bumper 2023 harvest which drove down prices. According to Kommersant daily data, potatoes have tripled in price in the supermarkets compared to 2024, reaching a record high of 85.4 roubles (£0.79) per kilogram. Russian import duties on potatoes were lifted amid concerns about inflation, but increased imports from Egypt have not managed to keep prices from ballooning.

The spiralling cost of potatoes comes amid sharp price increases for other Russian household staples. The price of cabbage is up by 49% since the start of the year, meanwhile beetroot is up 40%, and onions are up by 34%.

Russians' battle with prices in the supermarkets comes as Ukrainian's continue to battle Putin's forces. The Russian President refused to attend peace talks with Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul today. One theory for why Mr Putin did not attend the talks is that he is in fear of his life. Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former head of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, told the Mirror: "There are analysts, people who know better than I, who believe Putin is now a dead man walking, a spent force whose war in will cause his end."

The former British Army officer added: "Putin cannot keep playing for time and his bluff has been called brilliantly by Zelensky's challenge to meet him face-to-face in Turkey. in the coming months will lose a third of its income through decreased oil prices and it has lost probably a million troops to the conflict.

"He is incredibly paranoid, as we see with his increased security and I am very reliably informed by people who would know that he has at least two dopplegangers or lookalikes. He has been acting like a worried Czar and the Bolsheviks are gathering at the gates because internally things are looking really terrible. Russians cannot even buy a loaf of bread."