Aksyonov blames high prices in Crimea on 'speculators'
The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Russian Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, explained that the high prices on medicines and food products in the Crimean peninsula are being driven by speculators. The prices are 30-40% higher than in adjacent Russian regions: Krasnodar and Rostov.
“The prices on food products in specific areas are 40% higher than in the Krasnodar region. The price on pasta products is 46% higher. There are concerns of speculation in half of these cases, a parasitic exploitation of the specific situation,” Sergey Aksyonov stated in his interview with Russia-24 TV Channel. The head of the Crimea called on entrepreneurs to maintain a sense of patriotism.
“We are talking about the fact that you are taking advantage of other Crimeans, like you. You can’t do that! We are ready to accept the differences in prices connected with transport logistics, but the prices can’t be 1.5-2 times higher than in the Krasnodar or Rostov regions,” Aksyonov said.
According to him, the Working Group will report on an action plan to address downward price corrections at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of Crimea.
The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March of 2014 in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution. The Kremlin has faced international condemnation for its annexation of the Peninsula, leading many western countries to impose economic sanctions against Russia. In the United Nations, only Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.