May 08, 2022 | Written by Reema Gupta '22
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in order to gain control of the country through military force. This invasion marked the beginning of a months-long conflict in the region that has still not slowed despite a lack of media attention. The conflict has taken the lives of nearly 900 civilians and displaced thousands more. So far, more than 11 million people have fled their homes due to the conflict. Only 5.3 million of them are estimated to have reached a neighboring country, like Poland, where US troops are offering protection at refugee camps. The other 6 million are left attempting to survive with limited resources. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent reignition of the Russo-Ukrainian War has had disastrous effects on both territories and the world around them. Most notably, gas prices have been skyrocketing the last couple weeks due to sanctions on Russian exports. Recently, there have been concerns over global food production because both Russia and Ukraine supply 30% of the world’s wheat. Furthermore, Russia is also a major producer of agricultural fertilizer that is needed in growing crops around the world. Due to the sanctions, costs of the fertilizer and Russian wheat have also increased, making food increasingly more expensive for consumers. Many are predicting these higher costs will lead to famines in areas such as Somalia, which receives 90% of their wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine. Although the war in Ukraine is long from over as of now, one thing is clear, the conflict is slowly creeping outside of the territories.
Here is a segment from NPR that delves into the threat.
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