Ukraine war helps push 71 million into poverty due to soaring food and oil prices, UN says

The United Nations Development Programme warns the cost of living impact ‘almost without precedent in a generation’

A grain elevator behind a wheat field in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donbas, on 1 July 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a further 71 million people have been dragged into poverty due to skyrocketing food and energy prices, according to a new UN report.

Just three months after Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded the neighbouring country in February, a staggering 51.6 million people were living off $1.90 (£1.60) a day or less, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has estimated.

An additional 20 million had slipped below the poverty line of $3.20 a day, said the UNDP.