INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia had taken steps to prepare itself for a food crisis even before President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine, a Kremlin aide said
unprecedented international sanctions on Russia have disrupted supplies of fertilizer, wheat, and other commodities from both countries,
pushing up prices for food and fuel, especially in developing nations."Vladimir Vladimirovich understood that these problems could affect
Russia," former economy minister and Putin adviser Maxim Oreshkin told a youth forum in Moscow."Russia is actively preparing for a global
famine; it started at the end of last year," he added.Putin sent troops to Ukraine on Feb
24, after the Kremlin denied for months the possibility of a large-scale offensive against its smaller pro-Western neighbor.The United
believed "global hunger" would begin in late 2022, adding that "ill-thought-out" policies by the United States and EU countries were leading
to the food crisis.Oreshkin also said that the US attempts to get Ukrainian grain out of the ex-Soviet country would lead to a "humanitarian
catastrophe" in Ukraine and "major" food problems for the world.
