Russia is striking Ukraine’s food warehouses. Empty supermarket shelves are becoming more common.

Russian forces have stepped up their attacks on Ukrainian grocery warehouses and distribution centers in recent months, leading to increasingly empty supermarket shelves, according to reports from The Economist and The Washington Post. Retail chains are now stocking less popular items to mask shortages of in-demand products. While Ukrainians acknowledge that supplies haven't vanished entirely, they do note that they must shop around more to find what they need.

Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, stated that Russian strikes have damaged nearly 90% of grocery retailers' warehouses, but he maintained that there is no food shortage. The Ukrainian Food Retail Alliance's executive director, Natalia Petrovska, echoed this sentiment, stating that enough food exists in the country, but a logistics crisis due to damaged warehouses is causing the shortage.

Numerous retail industry insiders have expressed concern about the severe impact of Russian strikes on Ukrainian retail chains, warning of an extremely difficult situation that has never been seen before in the war.