Putin turns screw on global food supplies

Russia accused of destroying infrastructure that feeds billions

Vladimir Putin is “weaponising” global food supplies by stealing grain and destroying agricultural equipment as part of his war in Ukraine, Western officials have said.

The Kremlin is believed to be dismantling infrastructure needed for food production and blocking ports that are vital in shipping cereals out of the country, which is known as the breadbasket of Europe.

Officials fear Russia has embarked on a “deliberate policy” of disrupting food supplies, sparking a global crisis and raising the prospect of starvation in developing countries.

The Russian army has destroyed silos and other food production infrastructure in cities such as Kherson, Luhansk and Donetsk, say Western sources.

The UN estimates that 1.7 billion people in more than 100 countries are being affected by the current surge in food, energy and commodity prices.

A Western official said: “[Russia] has exacerbated a pre-existing bad situation and created a major threat to global food security through a policy of weaponisation of global food supply.”

They added that record grocery bills have proved the “last straw” for many poor countries, and said intelligence experts are closely monitoring the situation over fears of mass unrest across Africa and the Middle East.

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It comes after Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, warned earlier this week of “apocalyptic” food price rises and raised concerns about a disastrous impact on the developing world.

Ukraine and Russia produce a quarter of global wheat exports and a fifth of corn output between them.

Fuel, fertiliser and feed prices have jumped, with Ukraine producing half of the world’s sunflower oil.

The UN warned this week that almost 25 million tonnes of wheat in Ukrainian warehouses are being left to rot because the supplies cannot leave the country. It also said that some grain storage had been destroyed.

The United Nations chief said he is in “intense contacts” with Russia and other key countries hoping for an agreement to allow the export of grain stored in Ukrainian ports and ensure Russian food and fertiliser have unrestricted access to global markets.

But Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a ministerial meeting on the escalating food security crisis, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, that “there is still a long way to go”.

Guterres said global hunger levels “are at a new high”, with the number of people facing severe food insecurity doubling in just two years from 135 million before the pandemic to 276 million today. He said more than 500,000 people are living in famine conditions — an increase of more than 500 per cent since 2016.