Food security in times of war: Double discourse and violent conflicts. The case of Russia, 2014–2022

Abstract

The food security doctrine was adopted by the Russian Federation in 2010. Developed under the leadership of President Dmitry Medvedev, it established food security as a central component of national security. The concept emerged as an issue of global public debate in response to the 2006–2008 hunger crisis in the Global South. In Russia though, the initial interpretation of the concept, which emphasised the accessibility of food resources, was transformed into a slogan advocating domestic agri-food production. The article examines the Russian case from 2014 to 2022. It analyses how the narrative on food security constructs common goods such as ‘domestic territory’ or ‘food sovereignty’ and its subsequent implications for the prioritisation of certain values (e.g. production, sovereignty), social groups (e.g. producers over consumers), and roles in economic life (e.g. trade). Finally, this article will incorporate an updated analysis of official discourses on food security produced by the government following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.