Without enough food, there is only hunger, chaos, and violence. Russian President Vladimir Putin not only knows this better than anyone, he has also weaponized it. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he deliberately disrupted the country's wheat supply, triggering a global food crisis. Ukraine is the sixth-largest exporter of wheat in the world, and - by blockading Ukrainian ports, blowing up rail lines, stealing grain, and killing farmers - Putin has effectively taken about 20 million tons of wheat off the market.

Global wheat production is about 850 million tons, so this is hardly enough to cause a global famine. Another even greater factor is profiteering by major grain trading agribusinesses, which have already shown dramatic increases in profitability in 2022 as they have raised their prices without being questioned, as everyone assumes that this is the result of war-driven supply shortages. The other reason is also not related to the war - it is financial speculation in wheat futures markets, which can drive up prices even in spot markets.

It is enough to cause the price of wheat to jump more than 60 percent already. In the U.S., where the average American spends less than 10 percent of their income on food, this will hardly be noticeable. But for people in the developing world, many of whom spend 40 percent or more of their income on food, that could mean the difference between eating and going hungry.

​High food prices have already had a devastating impact in poor nations, pushing 20 million people into starvation in sub-Saharan Africa alone, and sparking riots in Sri Lanka.

Globally, around 795 million people lack access to adequate food resources. This equates to approximately one in nine hungry humans who do not have enough to eat."​Hunger is actually the worst weapon of mass destruction. It claims millions of victims each year.” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil (2003-2010)(2023-  )