Chicken shortage hits Russia amid surging egg prices despite Putin's promises

"Russian media outlets are reporting a shortage of poultry. It seems there is a lack of chicken meat in Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, and Samara," Heraszczenko stated on X service.

Customers from Samara, Yekaterinburg, and Chelyabinsk have reported to Russian media about the scarcity of meat in stores. As per the reports from TVSamara.ru, various chicken cuts, such as thighs, wings, and breasts, are missing from the shelves. However, beef and pork are still available.

Simultaneously, the local newspaper has reported the absence of chicken from store shelves in Chelyabinsk, 74.RU. Despite this, the media also cites comments from the regional Ministry of Agriculture, whose representatives claim there are no issues with chicken deliveries.

The E1.RU website has observed that there are also empty chicken shelves in stores in Yekaterinburg.

At the end of December, the Russian government passed a resolution to abolish duties on the import of frozen domestic chicken meat up to 308,647 lbs. This step is intended to stabilize prices. As per the document, this measure will be effective from January 1 to December 31, 2024.

And it doesn't stop there. Russians are grappling with a sharp rise in egg prices. In November, the Russian Federal State Statistical Service (Rosstat) reported that egg prices had surged by 40.29 percent yearly.

Vladimir Putin commented on this issue, saying, "I'm sorry about this problem. This is a shortcoming in the government's performance." He made this statement on December 14, promising the situation would be resolved soon.

Unfortunately, the leader's apology hasn't brought about much change. After his statement, the egg prices continued to skyrocket, as reported by Newsweek.