Russian stores limit sales of food staples as sanctions start to bite

MOSCOW — Retailers in Russia will limit sales of essential foodstuffs to limit black market speculation and ensure affordability, the government says, as sanctions imposed over Moscow’s military incursion into Ukraine began to bite.

The trade and industry ministry says there have been cases where essential foodstuffs had been purchased “in a volume clearly larger than necessary for private consumption (up to several tons) for subsequent resale.”

Trade organizations representing retailers had proposed retailers be allowed to limit the volume of specific goods sold to individuals at any one time, the ministry’s statement says.

“The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture supported the initiative of trade organizations,” the release says, noting that the organizations themselves would work out the policy.

Essential goods, whose prices are subject to state controls, include bread, rice, flour, eggs and selected meats and dairy products among others.

Moscow has been hit with a damaging package of financial and cultural penalties by Western countries since the Kremlin initiated what it has called “a special military operation” in neighboring Ukraine on February 24.