On June 29, 2024, ‘ZhS Premium’ shared a post about salt prices in Ukraine, accompanied by a video. The post read in part:
“At least 40 times more expensive than in Belarus... Today, a video from a Ukrainian store went viral on TikTok, showing regular salt priced at 400 Hryvnia per kilogram. This is 40 times more than in Belarus and 36 times more than in Mariupol.”
A kilogram of regular salt in a Belarusian store costs nearly 0,8 Belarusian ruble. According to ‘ZhS Premium’, the price of “Volya” salt in Ukraine is 400 Hryvnias, which is equivalent to over 30 Belarusian rubles, implying a difference of around 40 times.
In fact, regular salt in Ukraine costs significantly less. The price of “Volya” salt reflects a fundraiser by NOVUS, a Ukrainian grocery store chain, to support the military. Their advertisement for the campaign reads:
“You buy that very salt. And we transfer all the profits to our defenders at the front.”
The author of the video, which 'ZS Premium' shared, later explained:
“It's all good, for those who gloat, hello to everyone. Relax, beavers. It was 13 [hryvnias — ed.] in that store, I just didn't have time to film it.”
Regular salt in Ukraine costs about 13 hryvnias or 1 Belarusian ruble. Thus, the price is higher than in Belarus, but only by 20%.