Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to a Moscow supermarket, instructing startled managers to lower their prices.
Rising food prices – a key factor of high inflation – have emerged as a major source of concern for his government, as many Russians identify high food prices as the biggest issue facing them.
Putin broke off a meeting to drag retail executives and Cabinet ministers to a Moscow supermarket, where he chastised the managers for large markups on meat.
Television cameras, food producers and beleaguered supermarket managers trailed after Putin as he marched around the Perekryostok supermarket Wednesday evening, pointing at food products, questioning employees and dressing them down.
“Why do your sausages cost 240 rubles ($7.50)? Do you call that normal?” Putin asked.
The stunt followed a series of populist moves aimed at addressing social discontent during an economic crisis that has led to mass job losses and factory shutdowns.
Earlier this month, Putin staged a humiliating dressing down of Oleg Deripaska, once Russia’s richest man, for failing to pay workers at one of his factories, which had been shutdown.
In a televised meeting, Putin threw a pen at Deripaska and ordered him to sign a contract restarting supplies to the plant.
