REUTERS/Mikhail Voskresensk
Shoppers look at meat on offer on a market stall in Moscow February 8, 2013.
Many believe the sanctions will only end up hurting ordinary Russians.
As it happens, ordinary Russians also believe this will case.
"The move provoked an immediate internet backlash, with Russian Twitter users predicting a return to the empty shelves and queues for food that characterised the collapse of the Soviet Union," The Telegraph reported.
Here's what they were talking about.
"Russians walk by empty shelves: 'How about that!'" Kirill Martynov Tweeted.
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- ?????? ???????? (@kmartynov) August 7, 2014
One site posted a photo comparing what it said was the well-stocked imported cheese grocery aisle, left, and the scantier domestic aisle, right.
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- ???? #????????????? (@gmkorr) August 7, 2014
User "Elena the Translator," who's been retweeting negative reactions to the news, simply said, "God, how awful everything is."
???????, ??? ??? ?????? :(
- Elena the Translator (@elenium72) August 7, 2014
The world-renowned Russian gallows humor also emerged. Twitter user Nik Batalov posted a now infamous photo of Russian cheesemongers bathing in a dairy vat with a new caption reading, "Buy Domestic."
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- ?????? ??????? (@nikbatalov) August 7, 2014
"I've only lived half my life, and I'm already transitioning to horse meat," Yaroslav Sviridov said.
?????? ????? ?????? ?? ????????, ? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ??????.
- ??????? ???????? (@yasviridov) August 7, 2014
"Beef can be replaced by a national leader; toilet paper, spirituality; and fruit, a five-minute hate screed on TV to anyone who has some," said "FakeMORF."
???????? ????? ???????? ???????????? ???????, ????????? ?????? - ???????????, ?????? - ???????????? ????????? ?? ?? ? ???, ? ???? ??? ????!
- ?u???????? ?????? (@FakeMORF) August 6, 2014
The sanctions do seem to be having some impact in the West: Ireland's dairy industry is warning of potentialjob losses, and as we just reported, shares in two U.S. poultry producers are down.
But it appears the greatest impact will be felt by Russians themselves.