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Ukraine Says Sea Blockade Threatens Global Food Security

  • Ports shut following Russia’s invasion, limiting exports
  • Minister says bottlenecks prevent alternative to sea transport
Russian servicemen guard the Port of Mariupol on April 29.

Russian servicemen guard the Port of Mariupol on April 29.

Photographer: Andrey Borodulin/AFP/Getty Images 

Blockaded ports in Ukraine are threatening global food security, as the country struggles to reroute grain shipments due to bottlenecks caused by Russia’s invasion, according to Ukrainian officials.

Most of Ukraine’s ports have been shut since the war erupted, limiting its grain exports to rail and road routes via neighboring European Union nations. That has curtailed shipments to 1.1 million tons in April, versus about 5 million tons a month in normal times.