Russia Steamrolls Western Cheese, Fruit to Enforce Ban

The Russian government was steamrolling tons of contraband cheese and destroying fruit with tractors Thursday in a public display of its commitment to its one-year-old ban on Western foods.

In this photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, John Kopiski, a British-born business executive who came to Moscow for a 3-day business trip and ended up staying for more than 20 years, controls the process of cheese making in a storage at his farm in Krutovo village, Vladimir region, about 220 kilometers (some 140 miles) east of Moscow, Russia. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

MOSCOW—The Russian government was steamrolling tons of contraband cheese and destroying fruit with tractors Thursday in a public display of its commitment to its 1-year-old ban on Western foods.

The move, however, has raised protests in Russia, with people signing a petition urging the government to instead donate the food to the poor suffering through the country’s vicious recession.

Coupled with the ruble’s sharp depreciation, the ban on Western food has helped drive consumer prices up, pushing an increasing number of Russians below the poverty line.

A group of activists, members of Eat the Russian Food movement, check food at a Moscow food store in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko