According to Russia's statistics agency, Rosstat, the price of potatoes has gone up 74 per cent since the beginning of the year. Butter has risen by more than 25 per cent, leading to reports of a string of thefts, forcing some grocery stores to put the blocks under plastic cases.

The Russian ruble has experienced a sharp fall in value against the U.S. dollar, weakened in recent days by the U.S. Treasury's imposition of fresh sanctions on dozens of Russian banks, including the major lender Gazprombank.