Russian healthcare regulator Roszdravnadzor on Friday said medicine shortages were due to "artificially" higher demand and that suppliers were not currently able to replenish stocks on time, the RIA news agency reported.

Russians have rushed to stock up on anti-depressants, sleeping pills and contraceptives among other products since the conflict in Ukraine began, data released on Thursday showed, with people buying a month's worth of medicine in just two weeks.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alex Richardson)