How Russia-Ukraine War is Starving Africa, Driving Up Food Prices in Nigeria, Egypt, Others

• Kremlin’s new weapons rhetoric fuels fears of World War III escalation.

Femi Ashekun/

As Vladimir Putin ramps up the production of Russia’s terrifying 8,370 mph hypersonic Oreshnik missiles, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has sounded a dire warning about the ripple effects of the ongoing war on global food security.

Speaking this weekend, Zelensky laid bare the devastating consequences of Russia’s relentless aggression, particularly for nations like Nigeria, where soaring food prices are exacerbating existing economic challenges.

“Ukrainian food exports provide sustenance for 400 million people in over 100 countries,” Zelensky stated. “Food prices in Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, and other African nations directly depend on whether farmers and agricultural companies in Ukraine can operate without fear of missile attacks.”

Russia’s Oreshnik missiles, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads and traveling at ten times the speed of sound, were launched into Ukraine last week.

Putin’s boasting that “no one in the world has such weapons” has sparked alarm globally. NATO leaders are set to hold emergency talks this week, with concerns mounting that Putin’s threats are edging closer to sparking World War III.

In a chilling televised address, Putin claimed the missiles used against Ukraine’s Dnipro region last Thursday carried conventional warheads but ominously emphasised their nuclear capability.

Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, doubled down, warning Western nations that providing Ukraine with long-range missiles—like the U.S. ATACMS and Britain’s Storm Shadow—would not go unanswered.

Reports indicate Ukrainian forces have lost 40% of reclaimed territory in Russia’s Kursk region due to Moscow deploying nearly 60,000 troops.

Yet Zelensky remains resolute, highlighting that Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on port infrastructure have destroyed 321 Ukrainian facilities and damaged 20 merchant ships, many belonging to nations far removed from the conflict.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, is among the hardest-hit nations as global grain supplies tighten. The disruption to Ukraine’s agricultural exports—vital for staples such as wheat—has sent shockwaves across African markets, driving food inflation to unsustainable levels.

For millions of Nigerians, the rising cost of bread and other essentials ties their fates to a distant war, while Moscow’s aggression stokes fears of worsening global instability.

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