Global Journal of Human Social Science, F: Political Science, Volume 22 Issue 5

Source: Astrasheuskaya, 2021 Graph 13: Russia leads in global wheat exports In the past, Russia had been a net importer of grain. The Soviet Union p referred to rely on imports and to pay no subsidies for the production of wheat. This changed when Putin launched a programme aimed at stimulating investment and developing agricultural production through state-led projects in 2004 to ensure 80 % to 95 % of self-sufficiency in key products, including grain (Astrasheuskaya, 2021). The severe devaluation in the rouble in 2014 as a consequence of US and EU sanctions against Moscow after the annexation of Crimea made its exports cheaper. Also, Russia’s counter-sanctions, banning most food imports from the west, further boosted domestic producers with the effect that Russia became the world’s biggest wheat exporter, passing the US and Canada for the first time in 2017. Thus, Russian grain became Moscow’s new geostrategic weapon, comparable with oil. Putin declared proudly that Russia made its way across Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America as an agricultural export powerhouse, reducing its reliance on energy export, identifying new markets and extending its global diplomatic reach (Astrasheuskaya, 2021). Source: Astrasheuskaya, 2021 Graph 14: Russia’s wheat diplomacy, 2019 - 2022 © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue V Version I 10 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 F Will Putin’s Ukraine War Provoke Famine and Upheaval in Africa ?