No price hike or deficit due to Ukraine’s blockade of Crimea — prosecutor

SIMFEROPOL, September 22. /TASS/. Crimea has seen no food price hikes or the absence of some products amid a food blockade announced on Monday by pro-Ukrainian Crimean Tatar activists and Right Sector extremists, Crimean Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya said on Tuesday.

The Prosecutor’s Office was monitoring prices and shelves at Crimean supermarkets, she said. "We will be watching whether somebody is raising prices or profiteering on the market," she noted, adding that such incidents if any would get legal evaluation.

On Sunday, September 20, supporters of Crimea’s former deputy prime minister, Lenur Islyamov, and Ukrainian parliament members Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov launched what they called as Crimea’s food blockade to upset the free passage of trucks carrying foods to the peninsula. The extremist group Right Sector, outlawed in Russia, joined in.

Poklonskaya dubbed their activity as ‘delirium’ saying the attitude of Crimean residents, even Crimean Tatars, to them was negative.

The flow of goods from Ukraine to Crimea is very limited — alcohol, fodder and packaging materials. As for food, its only eggs, preserved fruit and juice. All the rest is Russian-made.

Up to six tons of cargoes used to cross from Ukraine into Crimea daily, including cargoes from third countries and transit cargoes.

Ukrainian goods in Crimea will be fully replaced with Russian products in two weeks, Crimea’s head Sergey Aksyonov said on Monday.

"Almost all retailer chains and entrepreneurs have made agreements with agriculture producers on the mainland. A total of 95% of goods at our markets now were produced in Russia. With this approach, there will be no Ukrainian products at all at shelves in supermarkets in two weeks," Aksyonov told Rossiya 24 TV channel.

He described the situation with Crimea’s food blockade "not critical." "In my view, it is directed, first of all, against Ukrainian residents.