Amid port blockades and targeted strikes, Russia intensifies its assault on Ukraine’s agricultural exports, worsening global food insecurity.

After failing to break Ukraine’s resolve through conventional military tactics, Russia has escalated its campaign by launching an economic “food war”. The recent series of actions aimed at crippling Ukraine’s agriculture sector underscores the growing use of food as a weapon in the ongoing conflict.

Russia’s strategy began with the mining of the Kakhovka dam in June, an attack that has the potential to transform southern Ukrainian farmland into a desolate wasteland. The collapse of the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal last month marked a significant escalation, with Moscow pulling out of the agreement and instead imposing a naval blockade on Ukraine’s ports.

In the weeks that followed, Russia launched a string of strikes on Ukrainian grain storage facilities and vital ports, including attacks on the Danube ports of Reni and Izmail. These attacks have specifically targeted silos holding 220,000 tonnes of grain that were awaiting export.

Ukraine’s agricultural exports, which account for a significant portion of the global grain supply, have suffered deeply as a result of these actions. In late July, the global cereal price index surged by 10%, a direct consequence of the disruption caused by Russia’s actions. Prior to the blockade, Ukraine was a crucial exporter of grain, particularly wheat and corn, with 32 million tonnes exported annually through the Black Sea route—more than half of Ukraine’s total grain exports.

This strategy of weaponizing food not only seeks to deprive Ukraine of vital economic resources but also threatens to increase global food insecurity, especially in developing nations that rely heavily on Ukrainian grain. By blocking access to critical export routes, Russia has further intensified the already strained global food supply, while also sending a clear signal about the vulnerabilities of agricultural trade in conflict zones.