November 14, 2025
The blockade of Ukrainian ports during Russia’s 2022 invasion triggered a record spike in food prices. Nearly 25 million tons of grains got stuck in Ukraine. Exports of wheat, corn and sunflower seeds plummeted below 10% of their normal volume. Aside from hurting Ukraine’s economy, it also generated a global food panic, as many countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East, had grown reliant on Ukrainian and Russian grain over the past decade.

