Alexander Mertens is a professor of finance at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, a professor at the International Institute of Business, and a contributing expert at the Centre for Defence Strategies.

The price of a butter slab has spiked 26% since December, reflecting how inflation is unraveling for the average Russian in Vladimir Putin's war economy.

Russia’s wartime economy is straining under the cost of basic goods, with butter becoming the latest symbol of inflation and resource scarcity. The price of butter has jumped 26% over the past year, with some stores now placing alarmed security boxes around it to prevent theft.