A week after angering many in Russia by burning illegally imported Western food, authorities have started feeding Dutch flowers to the flames.
Officials say blooms from the Netherlands, which supplies much of Russia’s $2.5 billion flower market, pose safety risks because they may be infected. Critics say the “flower war” marks a new low in relations with the West and is Moscow’s retaliation for a Dutch investigation into the downing of a Malaysian airliner over rebel-held east Ukraine in July last year.
Whatever the reason, ordinary Russians, already struggling with unemployment and inflation, can expect higher flower prices in the next few …read more
Source: Daily News & Analysis
