The United Nations World Food Programme warned in a statement Tuesday; that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is putting more pressure on a region already; reeling from the aftermath of Covid-19 and the effects of climate change.

According to recent surveys done by the WFP, the number of persons suffering from extreme food insecurity “shot up” by more than 500,000 between December 2021 and March 2022. On February 24, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine.

“If the situation in Ukraine continues, millions more people could be pushed into poverty and famine.” “Covid-19, growing costs, and climate extremes are already affecting the region,” said Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “As job and income losses, food inflation;  and other driving variables hammer the most vulnerable individuals; we could return to food insecurity peaks witnessed during the peak of the pandemic.”