Putin's sanctions boomerang on vodka-loving Russians

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not shying away from hurting both Turks and Russians to escalate the current tension between Turkey and Russia caused by the downing of a fighter jet, but he seems to have taken it too far with his latest sanction against a seemingly innocuous vegetable only grown in a region of southern Turkey.

The bush cucumber, grown only in a 1,000-hectare region located in Antalya, is not favored by Turks, but is a must side-dish for vodka-loving Russians. Putin, who has imposed a range of sanctions against Turkey, called on his citizens not to vacation in Turkey, which is the preferred destination for price-conscious and security seeking Russian travelers. He has also allowed fruits and vegetables exported by Turkey to fester in Russian customs. However, as every czar or Communist party secretary-general has known since time immemorial, what Russians love even more than tiger-fighting, gun-toting, fighter jet flying and half-naked "tough guy" leaders is their vodka - and all those who try to come between this passionate bond have come to regret their decision.

Mustafa Erdoğan, a bush cucumber exporter at Gazipaşa wholesale market hall, says that "All bush cucumber produced in Turkey, which hit the 120-ton mark this year, is exported, with 85 percent going to Russia and the rest to Ukraine, Belarus and Balkan states."

Erdoğan added that "Local growers are also complaining about Putin's measures, noting that while they sold the cucumbers for TL 1.8 ($0.62) per kilogram before the crisis, they cannot find buyers for TL 0.2 per kilogram in the local market." Desperate Russians may try to grow their own cucumbers but farmers say the vegetable likes warm weather and the cold climate in Russia precludes any local solution to their culinary problem.