Even if Bulgaria is not at war the situation looks like an apocalypse.

In the last few days I have started looking at what products we need to buy for our weekly shopping - we also have products we buy once a month. The situation is deplorable.

The prices are so very high, in just 10 days since the Russia Ukraine conflict came to our country we have started a mass buying of basic products such as flour, oil, sugar and fuel for the cars. Many people, perhaps prompted by the fact that the shops will run out of goods, have started to stock up again. March 2020 everyone on social media was laughing about how there were people who were buying abnormal amounts of toilet paper because Bulgaria was entering a lockdown set by COVID now the situation is repeating itself.

Interestingly, consumers are sharing that fights and disputes are expected over a daily promotion in a large hypermarket in which they are putting sunflower oil at 2.99 as the normal price of this product currently ranges from 5.50 to 7 leva ( $4 - $6).

At home, we have never overstocked with too much produce, but we keep a decent amount for at least a week ahead. However, we don't know if the car we drive to the store (about 10 km away) will be in for repairs and we'll miss our weekly shopping trip.

On the other hand, because of the various restrictions that Russia has made on European countries, and conversely the European Union has made on Russia, there is an incredible rise in fuels such as 95 petrol and diesel at the moment. In these 10-15 days the price has risen from approximately 2.2 leva to 3+ leva. Again, various pictures have been showing up on social media showing people filling their cars to the top with fuel, then proceeding with tubes, large 10 liter water bottles, cans or whatever plastic containers they had. Of course all this came at a high price - when the gas stations realized the war had started they raised their prices. These same gas stations made their mega profit. Because in reality they were selling the fuel they bought at a low price and selling it at an even higher markup.

I can only accept an increase in the price of fuel when the quantity that was bought at the old low price has run out, and they have raised the price of everything. This, to me, is another blow to our country's economy.

The Government, in the person of our Prime Minister, has come out with the opinion that 'we have enough fuel' in the country. Their response to the bread price hike was the same - we have wheat until the 2023 harvest.

Why then has the price of these commodities gone up?

I am extremely sad and sick when I watch on television what is happening to the people of Ukraine. I feel powerless and hurt. But it also hurts that our country has not done much for the people who live in it for so many years.

Everyone has become spiteful and greedy and trying to steal or implicate someone with loans they cannot pay back.

I sincerely hope that everything with the Russia-Ukraine conflict is over soon. Let's stop killing innocent people for the sake of someone's ambition, no matter who they are.

Can't we, as a people, preserve ourselves and create new and good things and not always look for the bad and the money.

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Used Canva as Image database