Inflation Wildfire Consuming Russia Spreads to More Basic Goods

The inflation shock upending Russia’s economy has shown little sign of letting up, increasingly spreading to basic goods from onions to tea after supply disruptions and the ruble’s collapse that followed the invasion of Ukraine.

In a single week, the price of sugar increased as much as 37.1% in some Russian regions and rose nearly 14% on average nationwide. Consumer prices overall rose 1.93% in the seven days ending March 18, down slightly from 2.09% a week earlier, the Federal Statistics Service said Wednesday.