Confronting seismic shocks: New WQ article looks at “Russia’s war on natural resources” (New Security Beat - Wilson Center) 

New Security Beat published an article stating that only a day after Russia’s commitment to the shipping grain out of the Black Sea region port, the deal was thrown into question when its military launched missiles at the major port of Odesa. The attack renewed concerns that Ukraine’s grain exports will remain stuck—offering no reprieve for the world’s growing hunger crisis. Russia and Belarus are top suppliers of fertilizers and fertilizer ingredients like potash. From 2018-2020, Russia accounted for more than half of nitrogenous fertilizer imports in Peru (55 percent) and nearly all potassic fertilizer imports in Mali (99 percent). Now, export restrictions and sanctions are posing a challenge for some of these trade partners—in Peru, for example, Bloomberg reports that a shortage of fertilizer could catalyze a hunger crisis. IFPRI research was a source for the article.