Volgograd Residents Horrified by Post-New Year Price Hikes
After Volgograd businessman Nikita Timoshchenko expressed surprise at price hikes on the food basket, city residents shared their opinions. Many, to put it mildly, were also shocked, and not only by the cost of food, but by other goods and services that have become more expensive. However, there are also those who do not see this as a problem or find an explanation.
Recall, the businessman spoke, in particular, about products such as chicken fillet, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and overall predicted price increases literally on everything in the near future.
«Chicken fillet yesterday cost 389 rubles (about $4 at current rates), today — 430 rubles (about $4). Tomatoes went up by 30 rubles (about $0.30), cucumbers — even more. I»m now talking about the basket of both an ordinary buyer and an entrepreneur,« emphasizes Nikita Timoshchenko. »What profit can we even talk about if everyone starts raising their price tags now. VAT increased, taxes, utilities will rise — and this is only the beginning. It will be a tough year, guys. A fight to the death.«
Their pain was shared by Volgograd residents who also noticed how the numbers on price tags changed. And not only in the store.
«Today I received a bill for capital repairs. It increased by 25%…»
«I was in the store today during the day. Everyone is walking around, looking. Practically not buying anything. Just »browsing«.»
«Prices are simply going through the roof, money has turned into mere pieces of paper, it»s impossible to buy anything. It feels like inflation is at least 40%. At the same time, prices for fuel, utilities, etc. are inflated, which further drives inflation. Meanwhile, the entire burden has been shifted by the oligarchs onto the population, they are pressuring the Central Bank, and it lowered the key rate, so inflation has become uncontrollable.«
Following the businessman«s example, some made their predictions. And they do not sound too positive or comforting.
«Before the revolution, peasant families ate meat, as a rule, only on holidays. Cabbage soup and porridge — our food. We»ll take an example from our ancestors.«
«Those who went to restaurants will continue to go there, but significantly less often. These people will not switch to shawarma. And those who ate shawarma will switch to instant noodles.»
However, against the backdrop of general discontent, there were those Volgograd residents who explained the price increases as seasonal and post-New Year shock at the realities of life.
«People have already forgotten that some vegetables are seasonal products. Previously, tomatoes and cucumbers in winter were generally rare in stores. In summer, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants for 50–80 rubles (about $0.50–$0.80) per kilogram, in abundance, zucchini closer to autumn practically for free, we always made preserves for the whole winter, and even had leftovers for the next year. And now everyone wants fresh tomatoes and cucumbers in winter, and cheaply. All such starving people, but no one takes pearl barley, millet, or pasta, everyone wants to eat in winter exclusively salad from fresh cucumbers and tomatoes… Amazing.»
«For most people after New Year, everything is expensive, as all the money was spent on alcohol.»
Recall, Doctor of Economic Sciences and Professor Igor Belskikh made an economic forecast for 2026, according to which experts were obvious about a small «price spike» against the backdrop of the VAT increase after New Year. At the same time, the economist noted that prices had already increased even in anticipation of the VAT change — approximately from September.
