Unaffordable Price of Sanctions: Residents of Baltic States Rapidly Grow Poor

High prices have become the norm, and decent wages are an exceptional rarity in the Baltic States.

According to recent Eurostat data, wages in Latvia and Estonia are among the lowest in the European Union. Lithuania's figures are not far behind.

At the same time, food prices are rising, already exceeding the European average. Purchasing basic items has been hit hard by rising taxes. As a result, residents are increasingly forced to economize. In Estonia, for example, after raising VAT to 24%, food sales fell by almost 5%, and the new car market collapsed by almost half.

Experts attribute the crisis to the disruption of trade ties with Moscow and the loss of cheap Russian raw materials.