London is in shock: Shops all over Britain were attacked by Russian Snickers

Russian-speaking Snickers appeared in stores all over London. This is reported by the London correspondent of The New York Times Stephen Castle.

According to him, the packaging of the bars seemed to be ordinary, but in fact it was a deceptive impression.

"At first glance, the sweets in stores all over London seemed to be ordinary Snickers. The packaging was familiar—with a photo of nougat and a chocolate—covered caramel bar, and if you have any complaints, a toll-free number to call. But the inscription on the package was almost entirely written in Cyrillic, the Russian alphabet — and anyone who calls the number must speak Russian," Castle writes.

The influx of "Russian" bars to Britain is monitored by local officials, he notes. Officials claim that their sale violates labeling laws because the ingredients are not listed in English. In addition, they are "a strange exception at a time when broad trade restrictions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine have stopped the supply of many goods."

"Grocery store chains across Britain have largely stopped selling Russian food and alcohol, including brands such as Russian vodka Standard... Many companies have stopped production in Russia or even left it, and the manufacturer of Snickers, Mars Wrigley, did not do it. When asked about the appearance of Russian—speaking Snickers in British stores, the company stated that it could not prevent intermediaries from buying Snickers in Russia — or in neighboring countries, such as Belarus, and reselling them in Western Europe,"the publication says.

The owners of small London stores claim that they bought the bars in good faith from wholesalers specializing in supplies for small retailers. "How they got to the wholesalers is still a mystery," Castle shrugs.