ukraine is one of the worlds largest grain exporters, and the war has severely disrupted global food supplies. russias blockade of ukrainian ports in the black sea, combined with the destruction of ukrainian agriculture, has exacerbated food shortages, particularly in the middle east and africa. *-*-* in september 2022, russia staged sham referendums in the occupied regions of donetsk, luhansk, kherson, and zaporizhzhia, and subsequently claimed to annex these territories. the annexations were widely condemned as illegal under international law. however, these claims have not deterred ukraine, which continues to fight to reclaim these regions, particularly as it launched its 2023 counteroffensives targeting zaporizhzhia and donetsk. by the winter of 2022-2023, the conflict had largely devolved into a war of attrition. russias winter offensive failed to achieve significant territorial gains, largely due to a lack of trained soldiers, logistical issues, and ammunition shortages. the battle of bakhmut, one of the longest and bloodiest engagements of the war, epitomized the grinding nature of the conflict. both ukrainian and russian forces suffered heavy casualties, with the wagner group, a russian paramilitary organization, playing a prominent role in russias advances.
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