It Is Not True That Prices Are Increasing Because We Are a NATO Member
The post falsely claims that the high prices are the result of our country allocating financial resources to pay for weapons, logistics and mercenaries/soldiers waging war against the Russian Federation. The government has so far made three decisions on donations to Ukraine, and for security reasons, the information about what kind of equipment we donated is classified. That is all the military aid we have sent to Ukraine. Our country finances neither logistics nor soldiers. The increase in prices that is happening all over the world is the result of several factors. In the post, it is falsely claimed that prices in our country are rising because we are NATO members and that if we leave the alliance, prices will stabilize. Many non-NATO and non-EU countries also face high prices because this is a global trend and the causes of price increases affect all countries equally, not just isolated member countries of certain alliances
A post that is shared on social networks, through several incorrect information, claims that our prices are rising because we finance the war in Ukraine and because we are a member of NATO. This is not true.
Why are prices still going up and why are they so high???
The answer is short and simple.
All countries that support the Nazi-Ukrainian military, namely the EU and NATO countries, must allocate financial resources for the payment of weapons, logistics and mercenaries/soldiers fighting against the Russian Federation.
So my dears, don’t be surprised why life is so expensive, YOU are paying for the war.
The prices will be normalized when Macedonia gives up that support and when it leaves the NATO alliance.
(Don’t be lied to that there is no oil or no grain, it’s all the same scenario as in the corona years….)
The end.
The post claims that the high prices are the result of our country allocating financial resources to pay for weapons, logistics and mercenaries/soldiers fighting against the Russian Federation. Here we notice two untruths. The first is that Macedonia pays such funds. The government has so far made three decisions on donations to Ukraine, and for security reasons the information about what kind of equipment we donated is classified. That is all the military aid we have sent to Ukraine. Our country finances neither logistics nor soldiers.
The second disinformation is that there is a war against the Russian Federation. On the contrary, in February, the Russian army entered and invaded Ukraine, which is an independent and sovereign state, not the other way around.
The increase in prices, which is evidently happening in our country, but also throughout the world, is the result of several factors. Inflation is an increase in the price of something over time. Every month the authorities publish a new figure that estimates how much prices are rising overall.
Many things contribute to the high inflation rate, including: higher fuel prices, rising food prices after bad weather damaged the harvest and the war in Ukraine hit grain production and costs, rising car prices, partly due to shortages of microchips dating back to the pandemic, higher rents and home prices after low interest rates and telecommuting saturated the real estate market during the pandemic as well as rising prices for dozens of other items, including raw materials and furniture, from which many derive from production and logistics problems related to Covid-19.
The rise in fuel prices is due to several reasons, one of which is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prices started to rise before the war in Ukraine started in February this year, and the consequences of the Russian invasion have further worsened the situation. Therefore, Russia is one of the world’s largest oil exporters, but faces sanctions from European countries, the United States and other major economies because of its military actions against Ukraine. This means that the demand for oil from other producers has increased, which automatically leads to higher prices.
In an analysis made by the prestigious Forbes magazine, several main reasons why prices, especially of food, are high are derived.
- Pandemic disturbances
The pandemic has disrupted nearly every part of the food supply chain, including production, processing and retail. Those effects on the food supply chain are still being felt today.
When quarantines and travel bans forced people to eat at home, manufacturers that worked with restaurants lost a key customer base, while grocery stores faced a huge increase in demand. Many food manufacturers struggled in those early months to convert their operations to serve grocery consumers.
Food production costs have also increased due to labor turnover, investments to protect products from contamination, and additional costs for worker training. Even the cost of transporting food to processors and grocery stores has risen as retailers place rush orders to keep shelves full.
- The war in Ukraine
In the early days of the war in Ukraine, analysts speculated that food prices would certainly be affected, and those predictions have come true. Russia and Ukraine are some of the largest wheat producers in the world, accounting for 30% of total wheat exports.
However, the war posed obvious challenges for Ukraine to continue exporting wheat. Both its agricultural production and export capabilities have been decimated by the war: its exports fell by 92% between May 2021 and May 2022.
With Ukraine unable to fulfil its role as a major producer of wheat, the world is facing shortages. The short supply means the price of wheat is much higher, making it more expensive to process key ingredients such as flour and starch. In turn, food producers must raise the price they charge consumers to offset their higher production costs.
- Sanctions against Russia
Due to the war in Ukraine, Western countries have imposed bans on Russian imports, including oil and gas. Higher energy prices are further exacerbating the already high costs of food production and transportation caused by the pandemic.
In the announcement, it is also falsely claimed that the prices in our country are rising because we are a member of the NATO alliance and that if we leave the alliance the prices will stabilize. This has no logic.
Many non-NATO and non-EU countries are also facing high prices because this is a global trend and the reasons for price growth affect all countries equally, not just isolated member countries of certain alliances. The first example of this is our neighbor Serbia, which is not a member of NATO. In addition, in Serbia, inflation is increasing, and prices are rising daily. Consumer prices in August 2022, compared to the same month of the previous year, in Serbia increased by 13.2 percent, the Republic Institute of Statistics announced.
This post presents multiple disinformations, ties them together into one conclusion, and in this way manipulates the public into believing something that is not true.
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