Ukraine war set to trigger worst global famine in history and claim millions of lives, UN warns

THE war in Ukraine is set to claim millions of lives by triggering the worst global famine in history, UN chiefs have warned.

The country's vital southern ports, where millions of tons of grain are stored for shipment, are blockaded by Russian forces.

Food and fertiliser vital to production around the world is also being held up in Russia itself.

The global number of people facing severe food insecurity has doubled to 276million in two years.

And 500,000 are facing­ famine conditions, up 500 per cent since 2016.

David Beasley, head of the UN World Food Programme, said: “Failure to open the ports will be a declaration of war on global food security.

“This is not just about Ukraine, this is about the poorest of the poor around the world on the brink of starvation.”

He added: “I ask President Putin, if you have any heart at all, to please open these ports.

“So that we can feed the poorest of the poor and avert famine, as we've done in the past, when nations in this room have stepped up together.”