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Russia’s food weapon

David Fickling

Bloomberg

“One of Russia’s greatest strategic weaknesses has recently turned into an advantage,” says David Fickling. “Climate change may tilt the balance further in Moscow’s favour.” Russia has traditionally “underperformed” in food production due to the poor quality of its “frigid, drought-prone agricultural land”. Conscription during World War I, which turned more than ten million peasants from farmers into consumers, led to a collapse in production and the collectivisation and famine that followed saw output stagnate, leading to “unprecedented” imports. This