The Food and Energy Crisis of the 2020s as a Vehicle of Western Anti-Russian Policy

Abstract

Western officials and media have accused Russia of worsening the situation on the global food and energy markets in connection with its Special Military Operation in Ukraine. In addition to existing financial, diplomatic, political, and other restrictions, the West is waging an anti-Russian information campaign, blaming Moscow for the global food and energy crises. In practice, food and energy crises have long existed in certain states and regions, as well as at the global level, going through phases of transformation, aggravation, and mitigation, depending on a combination of causes. The authors do not deny that geopolitical events have had an impact on the stability of the energy and food systems, but not to the extent that Western countries claim. The profitability of speculation on global and local food and energy markets; the effectiveness of the G7 measures to control prices and pricing; the firm intention to further the sanctions pressure on the Russian fuel and energy complex; the launch of pilot mechanisms for the West to collect a kind of rent from the global fuel and energy complex; and the consolidation of the goals of decarbonizing the world economy in binding regulations at the national, regional, and global levels – all this indicates that the West’s reactionary measures against Russia will not stop any time soon and in the future may be deployed against other actors to achieve their political and economic goals. In a practical sense, these actions require a certain consolidation of efforts and a change in the strategy of Russia and friendly states towards Western countries to reduce dependence on their information agenda and political actions aimed at instigating crises in various spheres.