Russians are starting to feel the ‘catastrophic consequences’ of Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Footage has emerged appearing to show pensioners fighting for basic groceries in Moscow.
Social media has been flooded with photos of empty supermarket shelves and shoppers stock-piling goods.
Liubov Tsybulska, an advisor to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted the clip on Twitter, adding: ‘People in Moscow fighting for…SUGAR.
‘Well, dear Russian citizens, this is only beginning.’
Anna, who filmed the chaos in the Perekryostok store, told Podyom Media that people behaved aggressively because they are spooked by empty shelves.
‘There were empty shelves – no salt, no sugar, no pasta, no buckwheat, and only expensive rice’, she said.
People suddenly saw a cart with sugar and ran towards it. They attacked this cart, pushing each other away aggressively.
‘They were grabbing as much as possible for themselves, not leaving sugar for the others. I wanted to share the horror of it. We must stay human.’
Another disturbing race for sugar was also seen in Oryol, 230 miles south of the capital, the Daily Mail reported.
Earlier this month, Metro.co.uk reported that Russians could soon be hit with food shortages or even famine as a result of heavy sanctions, according to economic sanctions expert Dr Nathanael Tilahun.
The Kremlin has urged people, not to panic-buy and hoard but there is a lack of trust in official assurances that supplies will hold up.
In Kiselevsk, Siberia, a local said: ‘There has been no sugar for three days. I’ve been trying to shop for it all this time.
‘Do we ask for too much? No sugar, no salt, but empty shelves. What is this? An artificially created deficit? Wild people panic buying?’
Russian prosecutors have now begun checks in 26 regions over the suspicion of artificially high prices.
In Primorsky Krai, in the Far East region of the country, demand for sugar rose by 400% as the authorities pleaded for an end to panic-buying.
Some stores have even resulted in rationing how much people can buy at one time.
‘There are no conditions for risks of a shortage or for a reduction in product range’, insisted deputy prime minister Viktoria Abramchenko.
‘It is not worth driving up artificial demand with purchases for the future.
‘We will reorient the market and establish mutually profitable trade, expand our partnership network with friendly countries.’
Earlier this morning, the Foreign Secretary said sanctions from the UK and other Western nations were having a ‘debilitating effect on the Russian economy’ but urged allies to go further.
Liz Truss confirmed further measures should be expected, saying ‘we have got more individuals on our list’ as well as companies to target.
Speaking to Sky News, she said: ‘What we know is that Vladimir Putin’s plans are not going according to plan.
‘He is not making the progress expected, and we know the sanctions we’ve put on are working.
‘They are having a debilitating effect on the Russian economy… Those sanctions are really beginning to bite.’