Every fifth family in Ukraine lacks food due to Russian war – UN

One in five families in Ukraine faces a food shortage due to the consequences of the Russian war, said Matthew Hollingworth, the representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Ukraine at the meeting of the UN Security Council, news agency Ukrinform reports.

Ukraine, which regularly provided food to 400 million people around the world, now faces serious challenges in the food sector, especially in 80% of settlements located near the front line.

Hollingworth indicated that approximately one in five Ukrainian families face varying levels of acute food shortages, especially in war zones. More than 900,000 people who remain within a radius of 30 km from the front line have the most acute food needs, especially in winter.

According to the UN representative, WFP will provide food for about 750,000 of these people during the winter. In addition, another 1.5 million will receive financial aid in areas directly affected by the war.

Since mid-July, 31 attacks on facilities crucial to the production and export of grain have been documented. 28 of them were in Odesa Oblast, where "vital" Black Sea sea and Danube river terminals are located, "crucial for world trade and food production."

By February 2022, Ukraine accounted for 9% of world wheat exports, 15% for corn, and 44% for sunflower oil. Ukraine has already suffered losses in the agricultural sector of $40.2 billion dollars, Hollingworth said.

Ukraine has already exported 4 million tons of cargo despite Russia, thanks to the new shipping corridor in the Black Sea.