Condemnation Hasn’t Stopped Starvation. Sanctions Might.
November 28 commemorates the Holodomor, when Stalin’s regime caused a famine that killed millions between 1932 and 1933 and disproportionately targeted Ukrainians. While Ukraine classifies the Holodomor as a genocide, Russia has yet to recognize the Holodomor as genocide and disputes the historical inheritance of Soviet responsibility. Ninety-three years later, Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to threaten food security, as Russia attacks Ukrainian grain-export infrastructure and ports, disrupting vital routes for global agricultural exports. In 2018, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2417, condemning starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and affirming the Council’s authority to consider sanctions against entities that obstruct humanitarian assistance. Yet, eight years later, governments struggle to hold those who weaponize food accountable. When the Security Council cannot agree on sanctions, condemnation by willing governments is not enough; they must coordinate punitive measures that impose tangible economic costs on those responsible for weaponizing food.
Before the war, Ukrainian food exports fed more than 400 million people each year. Prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine's grain exports accounted for 10% of the global market, which means they exported roughly 60 million tons each year. 40% of Ukraine’s export income came from grain, and 14% of Ukrainian jobs were in the agricultural sector. Together, Russia and Ukraine were responsible for 75% of the sunflower oil, 30% of wheat, and 20% of corn globally. In July of 2022, the UN, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia signed the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate the safe passage of grain and fertilizer out of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. In July of 2023, Russia unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and began targeting Ukrainian grain infrastructure.
In July 2026 alone, Russia launched 124 attacks on Greater Odessa ports and waterways. Between June and July, cargo handling at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports fell more than 90 percent, and in the first two weeks of August, grain exports dropped 76 percent year-over-year. Not only have these attacks left crew members dead or wounded, but they have also pushed millions into acute food insecurity and threatened the price of food.
Existing targeted sanctions on Russia have provided accurate accountability to address food warfare. EU sanctions against Russia have listed close to 4,600 individuals and entities; however, the list does not address involvement with weaponizing food. The U.S. imposed sanctions against five individuals for enabling or supporting grain theft on behalf of Russia in 2022, but has not designated individuals or entities connected to attacking ports or grain storage. Governments must impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities to place personal costs on attacks. These efforts won’t end the war, but they can reduce strikes on food infrastructure and build an evidentiary record for future International Criminal Court proceedings. Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, responsible for all Russian naval operations as the Navy’s commander-in-chief, and General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, whom the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for various war crimes against Ukraine, are potential candidates if investigators link them to specific attacks. Authorization of attacks by the president, oligarchs, and other individuals and entities should similarly be condemned.
Resolution 2417 urges states to investigate violations of international humanitarian law involving starvation as a method of warfare, and encourages governments to take action against those responsible. Governments should build on this commitment by coordinating targeted sanctions against Russian officials, companies, and other entities credibly linked to unlawful attacks on food infrastructure. However, its non-mandatory nature means that not every government will act. The coalition should begin with global leaders in human rights sanctions, including the US, EU, UK, and Canada. Beginning with the US, Canada adopted its Magnitsky law in 2017, followed by the UK and EU in 2020. Since 2021, the four have coordinated designations together; however, this law is severely underused against starvation crimes. Other states should participate by sharing evidence and, where their legal systems permit, restricting or freezing financial access of involved parties. This strategy would complement sanctions by focusing accountability for specific unlawful conflict, rather than relying solely on broad economic restrictions against Russia.
Recent attacks have disrupted grain import infrastructure in Ukraine’s Black Sea exports and also damaged Russian grain terminals and ships. Both sides have attacked grain infrastructure. However, damage to food-exporting infrastructure does not automatically amount to a violation of international humanitarian law. Each attack’s target, circumstances, and compliance with the law must be assessed by investigating governments before imposing sanctions. For example, the case for military objectives becomes unclear when Russia struck Chornomorsk in 2023, destroying 60,000 tons of grain, because satellite imagery shows that the closest observable Ukrainian position was about 1.5 kilometres away. Consistently applying a set standard for investigations would strengthen the credibility of targeted sanctions.
Russia was among the countries condemning the use of starvation as a method of warfare in 2018. Yet, in 2022, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, called food Russia’s “silent weapon.” His statement underscores the danger of treating food security as a tool of geopolitical coercion to exert pressure on other countries. Recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian grain export infrastructure threaten not only Ukraine’s economy, but also worsen global hunger. 93 years after the Holodomor, governments should no longer allow Russia to use food as a weapon. The international community must return to its 2018 commitment to condemning the weaponization of hunger by tangibly holding those responsible accountable.