Amid sharply rising prices, inflation at 12.7% and disruption to supply chains due to Western sanctions, around 35% of Russian citizens say they are trying to reduce the cost of their weekly food shop, according to a survey published on Monday.Of those who said they were trying to save money on food, 69% also told Russias state-funded pollster VTsIOM that they were in a difficult financial position.Some 32% of those who responded to the poll also admitted that they had started spending less on beauty salons and cosmetics, the survey said.According to the national statistics agency, Rosstat, around 43.2% of Russians have an income of under 27,000 rubles ($441) per month, while roughly a quarter of the population earns less than 19,000 rubles ($309) per month.Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and Western sanctions, the countrys economy has entered a recession as gross domestic output fell by 4% in the third quarter, Rosstat said in its report published earlier this month.Despite its contracting economy, Russia's unemployment rate stood at 3.9% in September, according to Rosstat.
AFP contributed reporting