How Russian strikes and online panic are changing Ukraine’s supermarket shelves

Russian strikes leave gaps on supermarket shelves

Russian strikes on warehouses in several Ukrainian cities have disrupted deliveries and left temporary gaps on supermarket shelves. Retailers say shoppers are buying more staples, including grains, cooking oil, sugar, salt, water and canned food, but there is no systemic shortage.

NOVUS said demand for essential goods has increased, but there are no signs of critical shortages or widespread panic buying. At METRO stores, about 17% of roughly 16,000 products are temporarily unavailable. The retailer said customers can generally find alternatives, meaning the gaps often affect a particular brand or product rather than an entire food category.

The disruption is largely logistical. Suppliers are changing delivery routes and finding new ways to store goods to reduce their exposure to Russian attacks. According to the Ukrainian government, up to 90% of storage capacity has been destroyed in some locations.

Retailers are also moving away from large distribution hubs and storing more goods directly at individual stores. The approach reduces the amount of stock concentrated in one place but can make it slower to replenish shelves.

The additional transportation and storage costs could push food prices up by as much as 2.5%, Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said. Retailers, however, say they do not plan to pass all of those additional costs on to customers.

How online panic makes it worse

A new wave of panic buying was fueled in part by social media posts that distorted comments from a Kyiv food safety official. Anatolii Katerenchuk had advised Ukrainians not to buy excessive amounts of food that could eventually spoil. Online, however, his remarks were recast as a warning to stock up on at least 10 days’ worth of food immediately.

Hromadske identified at least 33 posts in major Ukrainian Telegram channels within just 72 minutes urging people to buy water and staple foods while citing Katerenchuk. Together, the posts received more than 1.5 million views. Some omitted his clarification that Ukraine was not currently facing a food shortage.

Ukrainian authorities say Russian-linked Telegram channels have also amplified fears of shortages in recent weeks, claiming that disruptions are retaliation for Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russia and warning of a looming humanitarian crisis this winter. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation described the messaging as part of a systematic Russian campaign aimed at creating a sense that the situation was spiraling out of control.

Mykhailo Nepran, first vice president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said social media had played a decisive role in amplifying the panic, with some Ukrainian accounts and commentators also promoting alarming claims to attract attention and engagement.

Ukraine has food - the challenge is getting it to stores

Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said Ukraine has enough basic food supplies despite the Russian attacks, although shoppers may see changes in the selection of products available at individual stores.

Retailers and producers are now working with the government to redistribute risks and adapt deliveries, including deciding who bears the cost when goods are destroyed in Russian strikes and how products can be shipped directly to stores when traditional storage hubs are no longer safe.

Ukrainian businesses have repeatedly had to rebuild supply routes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Retailers say the current disruptions are uneven and can vary significantly between stores and regions.

For now, industry representatives say the empty spaces appearing on some shelves should not be mistaken for a nationwide food shortage: the greater challenge is keeping products moving through a distribution system that is once again being forced to adapt to Russian attacks.

Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi later said Ukrainians should keep a basic supply of food sufficient for about a week because wartime disruptions remain possible, but stressed there was no reason to stockpile food for a month or longer.