The Russian government has struck back at the western sanction imposed following his annexation of Crimea -- by steamrolling cheese. In public display of feet stamping, Moscow also destroyed fruit with tractors, part of a one-year-old ban on Western foods.
Yet the destruction of food was met with criticism in Russia, with nearly 200,000 people signing a petition urging the government to donate the food to the poor, blighted by the country's ongoing recession. Coupled with the ruble's sharp depreciation, the ban on Western food has helped drive consumer prices up, pushing an increasing number of Russians below the poverty line.
In this photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, heads of cheese are on the shelfs in a storage at John Kopiski's farm, in Krutovo village, Vladimir region, about 140 miles east of Moscow, Russia
The Kremlin, hoping to stem the flow of banned products by raising the costs for those involved in contraband, has ignored the public outcry. President Vladimir Putin's order to destroy the food underlines the Kremlin's determination to enforce the ban amid continuing tensions with Europe and the US over the Ukrainian crisis.
The national agricultural oversight agency, Rosselkhznadzor, said a total of 290 metric tons of banned imported fruit and vegetables were destroyed around the country on Thursday, along with 29.3 metric tons of animal products. It took a steamroller about an hour to crush 9 metric tons of contraband cheese in the Belgorod region near Russia's western border. Officials in St. Petersburg were prepared to burn 20 metric tons of cheese in incinerators, while authorities in Smolensk, another western border city, planned to use tractors to destroy some 60 metric tons of peaches and tomatoes.
Russia slapped a ban on many Western agricultural products, including meat, milk products, vegetables and fruit on August 6, 2014, in retaliation for the US and EU sanctions and support for pro-Russian insurgents in Ukraine. Last month, the Kremlin extended the ban for a year following the EU's decision to prolong its sanctions through January.
Russian importers have found various loopholes to bypass the ban. Neighbouring Belarus has become a major conduit for the banned items, processing European meat and other products, or simply repackaging banned European food to change the country of origin.
In this photo taken on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, an employee puts products on a shelf at a Moscow's farmers' food store "LavkaLavka" in Moscow
Defending the ban, Putin said it helped create incentives for local agricultural producers. Many farmers have lauded the move, hoping to fill the niche previously held by imports. "Major distributors who in the past bought from Holland and Italy now feel this will last," said John Kopiski, a British-born farmer who produces cheese and meat in Krutovo, about 140 miles east of Moscow. "Generally, my opinion and our family's opinion about the sanctions is that we are grateful for them, because maybe they will shake up businessmen and shake us to the roots and we will start doing it ourselves."
Experts warn, however, that while some local farmers have thrived, it would take years for Russia to reach self-sufficiency on food and prices will rise, hurting the population. The ban also has pinched Russian restaurant owners, who have struggled to find a local replacement for imported products.
