Ration Cards

Categories / Army. Navy/Blokade
RATION CARDS. Documents allowing the regular receipt of a certain amount of food from the State Trading Network at a fixed price under conditions of famine or drastic food shortages. the food rationing system was introduced at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, on 18 July 1941 within Leningrad, and on 19 July in its suburbs. Due to the sharp decline of the situation on the front, the sale of food without ration cards was banned on 1 September 1941. During the famine of 1941-42, minimum ration norm were fixed; food products bought with rations cards were the only source of sustenance for the majority of citizens. The loss of rations cards often meant death, and could not be replaced, according to regulations and instructions regarding the distribution of ration cards, approved by the Executive Committee of the Leningrad Soviet of Working People's Deputies on 26 July 1941. From 15 January 1942, District Executive Committees were in charge of renewal of ration cards. During the Siege of 1941-44, many cases of ration card counterfeit and theft were registered in Leningrad. In 1948 ration cards were abolished. In 1988, as the result of a shortage of goods, sugar, tobacco goods and alcoholic beverages were sold only by "coupons"; from the middle of 1989, the "coupon" system was introduced for the sale of meat, butter, grain, preserved meats, as well as soap and washing powder. "Coupons" were abolished in 1992.

Reference: Ленинград в осаде: Сб. док. о героич. обороне Ленинграда в годы Великой Отеч. войны, 1941-1945. СПб., 1995.

A. Y. Chistyakov. Ленинград в осаде: Сб. док. о героич. обороне Ленинграда в годы Великой Отеч. войны, 1941-1945. СПб., 1995. Executive Committee of Leningrad Soviet of Working People’s Deputies
1947