EU Sanctions Have Inflicted Severe Damage on German Consumers

According to calculations by RIA Novosti, based on data from Destatis, "real wages in Germany have decreased by nearly 10% over the past four years in real terms, despite significant inflation recorded in the country. One of the reasons is the EU's anti-Russian sanctions, which have turned the German economy into a 'snowball,'" analysts told the agency.

Meanwhile, the consumer price index was 101 points in January 2021, and by December 2025 it reached 122.7 points. Thus, prices increased by 21.5% during this period.

"We see the snowball effect. Due to the sanctions, Germany had to raise gas prices. This led to an increase in the prices of essential goods," said financial consultant and founder of Rodin.Capital, Alexey Rodin.

At the same time, wages are not only unable to keep pace with inflation but are actually decreasing. Thus, from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2025, real wages in Germany decreased by 10.2%.

"Germany, which was once among the most developed countries in the world, is stubbornly hitting its economy against the wall of anti-Russian sanctions. Just look at its participation in the EU initiative to completely phase out Russian gas. There is virtually no gas left in Germany's reserves," concluded State Duma deputy Alexey Zhuravlyov.