In Russia, condom sales jump by 170% over fears of shortage due to sanctions amid war

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, demand for condoms has dramatically increased in Russia. Analysts attribute this sudden hike in the sale of condoms to people's fears of price increases in the future and shortages triggered by Western sanctions. Notably, the largest online retailer in Russia, Wildberries, recorded an increase of 170% in the first two weeks of March 2022, compared to last year, reported Metro.

Russia's pharmacy chain revealed that the sale of condoms amid the war has gone up by 26%, while overall, there has been a 32% rise in condom sales, and supermarkets have revealed that their sales have gone up by 30%, reported Metro. This sudden hike in demand comes at a time when UK-based company Reckitt, the manufacturer of Durex and other brands, continues to operate in the country despite condemning President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Prezervativnaya sex shop co-owner, Yesenia Shamonina, said, "People are buying for the future, despite the fact that we were forced to raise prices," reported Metro.

Russia-Ukraine war: Demand for condoms in Russia goes up

Notably, the cost of contraceptives, along with other products, has gone up after Western countries imposed tough economic sanctions on Russia. Shamonina revealed that the cost of condoms had risen by up to 50%, depending on the brand. Companies have been forced to increase the prices of these products as the value of the Russian rouble has gone down against key Western currencies.

It is worth mentioning here that in just 9 weeks of this year, more than 4 million packs of condoms worth 1.3 billion rubles were sold in Russia. Reports say that packages of 12, 18, and 30 pieces are more in demand. Meanwhile, the largest producing countries like Thailand, India, South Korea, and China, have not stopped deliveries of products to Russia.

Moscow is heavily reliant on foreign countries for these products, as approximately 600 million condoms are imported into Russia each year, and the country produces only 100 million.

Meanwhile, sexologist Yevgeny Kalgavchuk has urged Russian people to use "good condoms" from friendly nations rather than those made in Western countries imposing sanctions, reported Metro. Due to massive demand for condoms, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade was forced to say that there would be no long-term problems and also stated that the stock of menstrual pads and baby diapers in stores would last for three months, assuring that there would be no shortage of these products.

(Image: AP/ Representative)