In late February, Russia began a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. The international community quickly sent billions of dollars of military equipment, medical supplies and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Additionally, many governments, including the U.S., placed hard-hitting sanctions on Russia in order to cripple its economic ability to run a war. 

Slowly, however, the war in whole began to slip out of the mainstream media. Since then, much has happened, from the humanitarian catastrophes caused by relentless Russian bombings to a European energy crisis caused by their near-unilateral sanctions on Russian oil and gas to seemingly small things such as a 70% increase in the worldwide average price of breakfast cereal during the summer.

Economic Consequences:

The war in Ukraine is taking a serious toll on the world economy. The expansive sanctions placed on Russia have hit the country’s economy hard. Over 150 companies have permanently halted operations in Russia, with another 250 pausing operations indefinitely, including Apple, Amazon and Exxon-Mobil.

“Russia’s economy is smaller GDP wise than Texas,” said Guy Leavitt, an Urban history teacher. “When you target an economy [as small as that], effectively over the long term, it does have real consequences.” 

According to the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, the sudden blockade on goods and services is also having a serious impact on the global supply chain. Additionally, the war in Ukraine created a huge increase in the price of everyday products in much of the world – especially in the agricultural sector. According to the Sloan Center, Russia and Ukraine account for 33% of world wheat production and 75% of the world’s sunflower oil production. The beginning of the invasion led to near-starvation in many countries due to food price increases. The effects on the world food market will have lasting impacts, and the destruction of Ukrainian agricultural infrastructure will only add to global hunger crises.

European Energy Crisis 

Rising prices and lower natural gas and oil supplies following the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a serious energy crisis in Europe, causing world leaders to consider utility bill price limits and alternative forms of energy. Russia was the 2nd largest supplier of gas and the 3rd largest exporter of oil in the world before the European Union put crippling sanctions on Russia. Pre-war, Russia accounted for over 40% of all European gas imports, a figure which has since fallen to around 10%. According to Rystad Energy, Russian natural gas supplies have dropped by 89%. 

Since approximately 60% of Europe’s energy supply comes from natural gas and oil power plants, as their supply of natural gas and oil decreased, energy prices in Europe quickly increased. As a cold and long winter lies ahead for many European countries, world leaders and citizens alike have begun to wonder whether they will be able to afford the high energy costs in the region.

Part 1:

Ukraine’s GDP is estimated to drop by 45% this year. 

Energy Crisis:

Russian gas supplies have dropped by 89%.

Humanitarian crisis:

After Ukrainian forces liberated the city of Izyum from Russian occupation, over 400 civilians were uncovered from unmarked mass graves. According to the Washington Post, officials identified signs of torture in at least 30 victims, with at least one corpse being found with a noose around their neck. 

The United Nations recorded a minimum of 14,844 civilian casualties in Ukraine as of September 24, with over 1,058 of them children. According to the Human Rights Watch, a single bombing of an apartment killed 47 civilians in early March, and another attack killed 17 citizens waiting in line at a grocery store, a violation of international law. 

“Those crimes will be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court,” Leavitt said. Although Leavitt believed prosecution was near-inevitable, he noted that it would likely be an extremely long and slow process. 

U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Blinken also accused Russia of deporting Ukrainian citizens to Russia against their consent in an attempt to use civilians as bargaining pieces. To escape these dangers, Ukrainians have begun fleeing to neighboring countries. As of September 13, the United Nations recorded over 7,200,000 Ukrainian refugees in Europe alone, many of them children who need access to shelter, nutrition and mental support. 

Within Russia, over 1,200,000 civilians and men who have previously served have been drafted into the Russian army. Drafters have told these draftees to supply their own sleeping bags and supplies, as well as to bring tampons and pads from their homes to make up for a lack of medical supplies. Over 700,000 Russians have already fled the country as of October 4th according to Forbes – and as drafts ramp up, the number of people fleeing the conscription will continue to rise.

12,900,000: Ukrainians displaced (OHCHR)

14,844: Civilians casualties in Ukraine. (OHCHR)