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a day ago
Sanctioned but standing: Russians see their prices rise as Trump and Putin head to Alaska
Despite three and half years of grinding international sanctions due to the Ukraine war, Russian grocery store shelves remain full, and there's little evidence people are going without their creature comforts. However, as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin prepare for their summit in Alaska on Friday, a tipping point may have finally arrived for the Russian people, left physically and economically separated from the West. Moscow's heavy war-related spending has led to higher salaries and increased consumer spending. But it's also caused higher inflation, which is now cutting deeply into economic growth, says Alexander Kolyandr, a senior researcher for the Center for European Policy Analysis in London. The situation is reflected in the attitudes of many people with whom CBC News spoke. Russian authorities have prohibited CBC from directly reporting in the country. Instead, a freelance journalist in Moscow sounded people out about their feelings on the war, its impact on their daily lives and the potential of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. Prices are constantly going up, especially food and utilities, said Anton, 40, who lives with his wife and young daughter in Korolyov, a Moscow commuter town. Kids' clothes like T-shirts that were super cheap are now sold at crazy prices in stores, with the same [bad] quality. Speaking publicly about Ukraine can trigger visits from Russian police, so CBC News is withholding the surnames of the people interviewed. Enlarge image (new window) A view of cooked food on a counter in a supermarket in Moscow in June 2024. Photo: Reuters / Maxim Shemetov 'You can't do it forever' Year over year, inflation now stands at almost nine per cent. Food inflation is even higher. We see the slowing of the economy everywhere, said Kolyandr, who until Russia's invasion was an analyst with Credite Swisse in Moscow. Russian statistics (new window) show that consumer spending steadily increased throughout 2024 but has fallen back sharply in 2025, a potential indicator of a stagnating economy, he said. Friday's meeting between the two leaders marks a critical point in diplomacy to end the combat on the battlefield, just as Russia's economy appears to be starting to sputter. Food costs more; manufactured goods, too, said Alexey, a 66-year-old pensioner who works part time as a security guard at a grocery store in Russia's capital. However, many people told CBC News that their lifestyles have remained generally the same — for now. We still buy what we need, but when something gets really expensive we make choices, like skipping buying a coat or a jacket, Alexey said. You feel it [the price increases], said Irina, a 31-year-old Moscow TV producer. But not to the point where I completely stopped buying things for myself. Military spending, signing bonuses Ever since Russian tanks crossed into Ukraine in 2022, there have been predictions that Putin's invasion would inordinately strain Russian consumers and businesses, potentially leading to the economic collapse of the country of 146 million people. But as time went on, those projections took on a boy who cried wolf feeling to them. Instead, government spending on Russia's military has until now fuelled an economic boom that's actually made many Russians far richer than they were pre-war. In the latest Russian budget (new window) , expenditures on the military and security accounted for 19 per cent of all government spending. Alexander Kolyandr is a senior researcher for the Center for European Policy Analysis in London. He is a former analyst with Credit Swisse in Moscow who left the country following Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Photo: CBC / Lyzaville Sale The Russian government was very good at boosting economic growth for two years while sweeping all the problems under the carpet or leaving them for the future, said Kolyandr. However, he adds, "it's like running on amphetamines — you can't do it forever." Enlarge image (new window) Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues in Moscow on Aug. 12. Photo: Reuters / Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik Still, even as prices rise — and war casualties mount — the Kremlin has put in place highly effective measures to insulate itself against any kind of popular backlash. Among them are lucrative signing and death bonuses to Russian soldiers and their families. Novaya Gazeta reports (new window) that if soldiers manage to survive their first year, they could earn up to seven million rubles, or about over $100,000 Cdn, including signing bonuses and salaries. It's a life-changing amount of money for soldiers' families, says Kolyandr, in a country where typical earnings are $18,000 Cdn a year (new window) . Enlarge image (new window) A car burns following what local authorities called a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Belgorod, Russia, on Aug. 14, in this still image taken from video. Photo: Reuters / Vyacheslav Gladkov/Telegram The lucrative payouts — along with persecuting dissenters — help explain the muted public opposition to the war, in spite of immense battlefield losses. Britain's Ministry of Defence estimates (new window) more than a million Russians have been killed or wounded since February 2022, while Ukraine's total casualties may be in excess of 400,000. Kremlin narratives Among the Muscovites who spoke about the war to our CBC freelance producer, several deferred to Kremlin narratives, which cast Western countries as the aggressor and Russia as fighting a defensive war of survival. I don't think freezing the conflict is actually good, because if they freeze it, [Ukrainian] missiles will still be hitting our territory, said Alexey, the 66-year-old pensioner. Others expressed low expectations that Putin and Trump would agree on a ceasefire anytime soon. If they stop shooting and agree on a freeze, that's already good — people will stop dying, said Anton, from Korolyov. But the economy probably won't get better. Even if they stop the troops, sanctions will likely stay. Enlarge image (new window) A poster in Yaroslavl's main train stations warns travellers about helping Ukrainians. One caption says, 'ATTENTION! DON'T LET THEM FOOL YOURSELF. DON'T BE A TRAITOR.' Another warns people they could get 20 years in jail if they help anyone sabotage national infrastructure, such as Russian railways. Photo: CBC Russia has passed laws imposing jail terms for spreading what it considers fake news about the Ukraine war on social media platforms. Nonetheless, on VK, one of Russia's largest social media platforms, some comments were notable for their negativity toward the war. Putin doesn't need peace. He's obsessed with control, and the war in Ukraine is one of his levers. And he's absolutely indifferent to the casualties, said one user named Dmitry, (new window) who was scolded by other user for his apparent criticism of Russia's leader. In another exchange, a user named Masha said, If Putin agrees to NATO conditions that's a loss, to which another user suggested that the special military operation — as the Kremlin calls its Ukraine invasion — has been a loss since the very beginning. Enlarge image (new window) A priest conducts a service during the funeral for Alexander Martemyanov, the Russian media outlet Izvestia's freelance correspondent killed in a drone strike on a highway while travelling by car from Horlivka to Donetsk, in January 2025. Photo: Reuters / Alexander Ermochenko Trump's tactics Kolyandr, the CEPA economist, says he believes it's unlikely there is any economic lever that Trump could pull to ultimately force Russia to alter its battlefield strategy or pull back against Ukraine. Russian forces currently control roughly 20 per cent of the country, including the Crimean peninsula, which Russia has officially annexed. Earlier in August, Trump imposed a 25 per cent penalty on India, in addition to a 25 per cent tariff for buying oil and weapons from Russia. Notably however, Trump has not targeted Russia's biggest energy customer, China. If he did, Kolyandr says he believes it would be very difficult for Russia's economy to survive the shock. "Trump said that if he imposes [secondary] sanctions, the price of Russian oil will drop by $10 [US]. And that would, in his view, derail the Russian economy. If my calculation is correct, that would deprive Russia of something like three-quarters of its GDP per year, which is a lot." Of late, Russians far from Ukraine's borders have been increasingly feeling the impact of the war in other ways. Ukrainian drones now fly over major Russian airports in cities such as Moscow almost daily, causing flight cancellations and delays. Others have been hitting Russian energy infrastructure, especially oil refineries. Ukraine has also been attacking Russia's mobile phone and internet infrastructure, often leading to widespread disruptions. All that trickles down and annoys people, says Kolyandr. But not to the point that they are ready to swap what they see as a victorious and existential war with the West for some creature comforts at home — at least not yet. Chris Brown (new window) · CBC News · Foreign correspondent Chris Brown is a foreign correspondent based in the CBC's London bureau. Previously in Moscow, Chris has a passion for great stories and has travelled all over Canada and the world to find them.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
The Orca winner of The Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol
The winner of B.C.'s Best Symbol is revealed Started 13 minutes ago Live Social Sharing It's black, white, and the best symbol of British Columbia. The orca has emerged victorious in The Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol, defeating 63 other challengers in a friendly summer-long competition by CBC News to determine what iconic thing in this province best represents us. After five weeks and 500,000 votes, the orca defeated the totem pole in the final by a comfortable 64-36 per cent margin to win the unofficial and unscientific crown. It came after a semifinal win against B.C.'s official tree (the Western Red Cedar), a quarterfinal win against the official mammal (the spirit bear), and a round of 16 victory over the official bird (the Steller's jay). "They're an indicator of the health of the entire province," said Lauren Laturnus, an Environmental Science masters student who has spent her last four summers on Saturna Island monitoring the whales as they pass through the Salish Sea. "It reflects the interconnectedness of the entire province and they rely on the salmon from B.C.'s rivers and streams, which then rely on the forests." In other words, the orca — strong, beautiful, communal and connected to nature — fully earned its title as the province's best symbol. How orcas became such a big symbol of British Columbia 18 days ago From 'something to be feared' to B.C.'s best symbol It's indicative of a remarkable turn in public opinion in B.C. towards orcas, an apex predator that is typically highly social and has deep family bonds. While to the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, orcas are the guardians of the sea, and for the Tsleil-Waututh people, the whales are a source of spiritual power and teachings, to many settlers they were seen as competitors for B.C.'s salmon population. The whales were labelled "criminals" in newspaper headlines, and there was even talk of using machine guns to hunt them down. "They were seen as an animal that was quite terrifying and something to be feared," said Andrew Trites, director of the University of B.C.'s Marine Mammal Research Unit. "Even the name they were given, killer whales, that should be a red flag right there," he said. But after many orcas were put in captivity in the 1960s — including the famous Moby Doll, captured off the coast of Saturna and placed in the Vancouver Aquarium — public perception swiftly changed. "The public as well as scientists started to think about orcas not just as indistinguishable black and white predators with scary-looking teeth ... but actually as individuals with their own personalities, their own connections to other whales and even potentially to us," said Jason Colby, a University of Victoria historian and author of Orca: How We Came to Know and Love the Ocean's Greatest Predator. Southern B.C. orca numbers dropping B.C.'s love of orcas has led to them becoming the mascot for the Vancouver Canucks (Fin) and the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games (Klee Wyck). They're also available for purchase as stuffed animals or paintings in shops across the province. But the love has also led to an environmental movement to fight for their survival. While many transient and northern resident orcas spend much of their time in B.C. waterways, the group arguably most associated with B.C. — the southern resident orcas — number just 73 left. Pollution of the waterways and decreases in the salmon population have been blamed as culprits, and in recent decades several orcas have died just months after being born. This year, Laturnus says they haven't made it to Saturna Island, even though they would traditionally be seen by the early summer. "It is a bit worrying because this is their traditional habitat and their summer foraging home," she said. A contested connection to our environment is part of the B.C. story. But so too is beauty and grace, social and family bonds, and a love of oceans and fish.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Trump tries to turn the page on Ukraine war with historic Putin summit in Alaska
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with his Russian counterpart in Alaska Friday for their first face-to-face meeting in six years as the American leader tries to bring the violent war in Ukraine to a close. Trump famously promised on the campaign trail to settle the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of his return to office — a quip he later said was made "in jest" as it became apparent there was no easy way to stop the hostilities. This meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is Trump's attempt to make good on that commitment to stop the fighting once and for all, although foreign policy experts doubt anything meaningful will be announced after a single meeting. CBC News will cover the meeting live starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. You can follow along here. Trump is also downplaying expectations. On Thursday, he said there will be at least one more meeting — between him, Putin and possibly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — before there's a resolution, if there is one. Zelenskyy wants an unconditional ceasefire. Of Friday's meeting, Trump said he "does know that we're going to get an immediate" downing of weapons when it's over. WATCH: Zelenskyy, Starmer meet ahead of Friday's summit between Trump, Putin: Zelenskyy, Starmer meet ahead of Trump, Putin summit in Alaska 13 hours ago Still, there's always the possibility of a breakthrough given the U.S. president's approach to diplomacy. Trump has threatened what he calls "severe consequences" if Russia doesn't agree to end the fighting. "I think he's going to make a deal," Trump said of Putin in a Fox News radio interview. He added that if the meeting went well, he would call Zelenskyy and European leaders afterward to hash out the terms. Later on Thursday, Trump said it's "a big meeting" and "we're going to save a lot of lives" if things go well. "All I want to do is set the table for the next meeting," he said. Putin himself said the U.S. was "making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict." This was happening, Putin said, "in order to create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, and in Europe, and in the world as a whole — if, by the next stages, we reach agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons." His comments signalled that Russia will raise nuclear arms control as part of a wide-ranging discussion on security when he sits down with the U.S. president. What's clear is that Trump is growing weary of the years-long conflict that has claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians. Russia's full-scale invasion was launched in February 2022. Russia controls about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory, based on the latest Western estimates, and it is advancing in the country's east but very slowly. "This was Biden's war — this wasn't my war — I want to see if we can stop the killing," Trump told reporters Thursday. Trump has been hostile to Ukraine at times as he pushes for a swift resolution to the war but despite some of his tough talk, he has largely maintained U.S. military support and anti-Russia sanctions. Still, Trump's desire to end things quickly is a concern for Ukraine and its European allies, said Michael Carpenter, a former senior director for Europe at the National Security Council under former U.S. president Joe Biden. Carpenter expects Putin will show up with a list of "maximalist demands" — like forcing Ukraine to cede some oblasts currently under Russian control, urging American support for limiting the Ukrainian military's capabilities and a commitment to not expand the NATO military alliance beyond its current borders. All would be deeply unpalatable options for Zelenskyy. "The Europeans are absolutely scared stiff Trump will sell out Ukraine, that he will agree to Putin's terms," Carpenter said in an interview. Trump himself said the meetings with Putin may include talk of land swaps. The second get-together will be "where they make a deal," he said of the Russian leader and Zelenskyy. "And I don't want to use the word divvy things up, but you know to a certain extent, it's not a bad term, OK?" he said. At this stage, territorial swaps are a non-starter for the Ukrainians. Carpenter said Trump's decision to hold a meeting with Putin on American soil — with no clear plan for peace — gives the Russian president undeserved recognition. "It's unlikely that the summit is actually going to produce any substantive outcome other than this legitimation of Putin in the eyes of many Americans," he said. "Putin's an indicted war criminal who has been isolated by much of the Western world and yet he's the big winner from this summit in Alaska because he gets a platform on the world stage."
