The war between Russia and Ukraine is reaching a "next level" of cruelty. Evidence of this is the Russian attacks on large food distribution centers through which products reach (or rather, used to reach) retail chains. Customers have already noticed empty shelves in some supermarkets in the capital, Kiev, with temporary shortages of grains, vegetables, and other products. This isn't a complete disappearance of products from the shelves, but some commonly used items are temporarily absent or available in limited quantities.

The attack on food distribution centers is a way for the Russians to demonstrate how attacks on civilian infrastructure can have a profound impact not only on cities, but also on people's daily lives. Damage to a warehouse far from a store could ultimately mean that a customer in the capital won't find their usual product on the shelves.

The New York Times cites one of Kiev's supermarkets, Silpo, as an example: this week, buckwheat, pearl wheat, quinoa, and rice were unavailable. Customers also found spring onions and packaged lettuce unavailable. The situation can vary depending on the supermarket chain, the neighborhood, and the individual store. According to the New York Times, on August 5, Russian missiles struck at least four warehouses belonging to the same company, which simultaneously supplied products to several retail chains. At least six workers were killed in the attack, and warehouses and other infrastructure were severely damaged.

As we mentioned, the most obvious consequences were felt in Kiev: the capital is one of the country's largest consumer markets, so any disruption to the operations of major suppliers quickly impacts buyers. At the same time, supply problems also arose in other regions of Ukraine, such as Zaporizhia.