Putin’s missiles have already burned 220,000 tons of grain in Ukraine – and Russia is treating grain ships as potential military targets. Food prices have gone up everywhere and we can’t let Putin’s blockade starve the world. African leaders and even China have called out his senseless war on food – let’s join the global outcry and bring our call to key leaders who can up the pressure on Putin.

Dear friends,

Putin's missiles have already burned 220,000 tons of grain in Ukraine - enough to feed almost a million people for a year.

Ukraine is the breadbasket of the world, and countries on the verge of famine in East Africa rely heavily on its wheat. Now Russia is treating grain ships as potential military targets – and food prices have already gone up everywhere.

We can’t let Putin’s blockade starve the world. Russia is gauging the international reaction: African leaders and even China have already called out its cruel war on food – and the global uproar could make it reevaluate. Add your name now, and when it’s massive we’ll bring our call to key leaders who can up the pressure on Putin – sign and share everywhere.

Join the call against Putin’s blockade

When Putin’s blockade sent food prices through the roof last year, the UN brokered a vital deal that ensured ships could continue to carry grain from Ukraine - and from Russia - across the Black Sea. Russia claims it killed the deal because sanctions still blocked its grain exports – but the truth is that they hit record highs over the last year.

This is just another escalation in Russia’s brutal war of aggression, and a callous blackmail as Putin holds hostage the 400 million people that Ukraine’s grain feeds around the world.

Even countries that had refused to condemn Russia’s invasion have already criticized the reckless blockade – including China, its most important ally. Putin made a cruel gamble with people’s lives – and he needs to see the world will blame hunger on him. Let’s supercharge the global outcry: Avaaz will take our call to key leaders and all over the media.

Join the call against Putin’s blockade

Putin’s war keeps getting crueler. But our movement keeps standing up to his crimes: we were millions to condemn his invasion last year, and to call for his prosecution. And we’ve won key battles in the fight for justice: we’ve never been closer to a Special Tribunal that can hold Putin accountable for his aggression against Ukraine, and we helped make sure he wouldn’t be able to defy the arrest warrant against him at a key summit in South Africa. Let’s do it again.

With hope and determination,

John, Antonia, Huiting, Abdelrahman, Mo, Nate, Bert, Ife and the whole Avaaz team

More information:

• Ukraine grain deal: What has happened to food prices since it ended? (BBC)
• ‘Trying to make the world starve’: Russian drones destroy grain warehouses at Ukraine ports (The Guardian)
• As Russia exits grain deal, which countries will be affected? (Al Jazeera)
• Ukraine: Russia’s attack on Odesa’s port risks ‘disastrous’ global crisis (Amnesty)
• 'Many may die' warns UN after end of Black Sea grain deal (Reuters)