Kaliningrad reintroduces food cards for struggling residents
In the Kaliningrad region, food cards for low-income individuals will be reintroduced in 2025, reported the Kremlin-independent "The Moscow Times," citing the governor of the region. "There are groups that basically cannot afford to shop today," admitted Alexey Besprozvannykh.
The governor of the Kaliningrad region, Alexey Besprozvannykh, announced on Thursday that food cards will be reinstated in the region starting in 2025. The program is aimed at low-income individuals, including retirees and large families. Food cards were temporarily in effect in the Russian enclave on the border with Poland in 2022, just after Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine.
"The Moscow Times" reminds us that at the end of 2023, as much as 10% of the approximately one million population of the Russian region by the Polish border was living below the subsistence minimum.
Russia restores food cards in Kaliningrad
– We will stop price increases, but even at the current product costs, there are groups that basically cannot afford to shop today. While there are sectors where wages are rising very clearly, in others they are rising to a lesser extent – Besprozvannykh justified the decision.
The governor emphasized that food cards will be primarily available for retirees and pensioners with incomes below the social minimum. "The Moscow Times" also quotes the governor's spokesperson, who announced that the list of beneficiaries of the food card program might be expanded. – We will prepare proposals – stated Mariam Bashkirova, the spokeswoman for the governor of Kaliningrad.
In 2022, food cards in the Kaliningrad region (then still called Kaliningrad - ed.) were available from April to July. Holders could receive products worth a total of RUB 6,000 (approx. $82 CAD).
Kaliningrad lags behind the Russian national average
Despite its western location and proximity to Poland and Lithuania, the Kaliningrad region ranks only 66th in Russia in terms of per capita income. The average annual salary is just under RUB 66,000 (approx. $910 CAD), which is significantly below the national average (over RUB 84,000 - approx. $1155 CAD).
At the end of November, we reported that Russia has firmly plunged into an economic downturn. There was an actual collapse of the ruble against the dollar, and the central bank is forced to maintain high interest rates to contain inflationary pressure and stabilize the economy. Interest rates are at 20%, and inflation reaches 8.5%. Ukrainian special services assess that 2025 will be a critical year for Russia's financial resources.
