Russia's war in Ukraine has 'turbocharged' decline in world peace, report says

The warring countries recorded the largest deteriorations in the 2022 Global Peace Index

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron visit Irpin, outside Kyiv, and survey damage following Russia's invasion. AP

Ukrainian troops fire with a French self-propelled Caesar howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the eastern region of Donbas. AFP

Workers pour molten steel into a mould at a foundry in Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region, in an area under Russian military control. AP

Russian soldiers guard an area next to a field of wheat in the Zaporizhzhia region. AP

A US Marine Corps Harrier fighter jet is parked on board the assault ship USS Kearsarge, during the Baltops 22 exercise in the Baltic Sea. Reuters

A man picks up debris after his house was destroyed by shelling in the city of Dobropillia, Donbas region. AFP

Smoke rises after shelling in Ukraine's breakaway enclave of Donetsk. AFP

A mascot is wrapped in the colours of the Ukrainian flag before the country's Uefa Nations League football match against the Republic of Ireland in Lodz, Poland. Reuters

Russian soldiers walk near a monument at the entrance of Mariupol, which has been painted in the colours of the Russian flag. AFP

French troops at an air base in Constanta, Romania. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit the base in a show of support for Nato and European allies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AP

Svitlana Nazarenko, sister of Mykhailo Tereshchenko, is comforted by her son during her brother's funeral in Kyiv. The Ukrainian soldier was killed in the Donbas region. Getty

Russian troops demine the bay and beach of Mariupol, Ukraine. AFP

A Russian soldier inspects the Azovstal steel plant, in Mariupol, in territory which is under control of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. AP

A house heavily damaged by Russian shelling is seen through a broken window, in the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. AP

Maryna Golovnia sits in a van with her children as they leave their home in Bakhmut, amid fighting. Getty Images

Ballet dancer Mykyta Sukhorukov rehearses before the evening Gala Concert of the Ukrainian National Ballet, in Kosice, Slovakia. Getty Images

A Ukrainian soldier looks on from inside a tank at a position in the breakaway Donetsk enclave, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters

Boys play on top of a damaged Russian tank in Kyiv. EPA

An Orthodox priest blesses Ukrainian soldiers during a service at a church in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. EPA

A damaged Ukrainian navy ship, the 'Donbas', lies partially submerged near the pier in the port city of Mariupol. EPA

Ukrainian soldiers load a projectile into a tank near the small city of Svitlodarsk, in the breakaway Ukrainian enclave of Donetsk. EPA

Smoke rises after the Russian military struck a compound at the Azot Chemical Plant in Lysychansk, Ukraine. Reuters

A Russian serviceman on patrol outside the Ukrainian town of Schastia. AFP

Mourners gather during the funeral of Ukrainian serviceman Ruslan Skalskyi in Lviv. AFP

Civilians are evacuated from Lysychansk, in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. AFP

A man passes two destroyed military lorries in Lysychansk. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers run for cover during clashes with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

An elderly woman reacts as Ukrainian soldiers lead her to safety during a battle with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

A wounded woman is assisted by Ukrainian soldiers in Lysychansk. AFP

A house burns after being shelled in Lysychansk. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks on a radio at a front line in the Donbas region. AFP

A man walks next to a damaged building in Lysychansk. Reuters

A man with children rides a bicycle along an empty street, as smoke rises after Russian shelling in Lysychansk. Reuters

An unexploded shell is stuck in the ground in Lysychansk. euters

An elderly woman, who was evacuated from the Lysychansk area, cries moments before travelling by train to western Ukraine from Pokrovsk railway station. AP

Global Peace Index 2022:: The 10 safest and most dangerous countries in the world

Russia's conflict in Ukraine has exposed the fragility of world food supplies and has had a severe impact on peace and the economy, a report said.

Peacefulness was down by 0.3 per cent from last year in the latest Global Peace Index, the third consecutive year of decline.

Ukraine recorded the largest deterioration for the 2022 index, falling 17 places from last year to sit at 153.

Of the 163 countries ranked, Russia and Ukraine were two of the five countries with the largest deteriorations in peacefulness. Russia dropped five places, to 160.

“Global peace is at the lowest level since the inception of the Global Peace Index in 2008,” Steve Killelea, founder of the report, told The National.

“Recent numbers on food insecurity [show] there's 49 million people facing starvation. That's up 25 per cent on six months ago. When we look at people facing extreme poverty, it sits at 1.1 billion. That's up 40 per cent on six months ago.”

There are countries in Africa that bought close to 100 per cent of their wheat and grain from Ukraine and Russia, which the UN says were the “world's breadbaskets” before the war disrupted supplies and led to sanctions on Moscow.

Food prices have risen sharply and many face starvation. Even major African food producers have struggled to buy fertiliser from Russia, one of the biggest suppliers.

“When you combine this with the background conditions that we have got at the moment, like the highest inflation in 40 years, global increases in food prices and further disruption to supply chains for a whole range of different products, the future situation, when looking at peace, is precarious to say the least,” Mr Killelea said.

“This is the real offshoot from the Ukraine war.”

Global Peace Index — in pictures

10th: With a low crime rate and high score for personal safety, Japan is one of the most liveable countries in the world. It pushed Switzerland and Canada outside of the top 10 this year. Hiro Komae / AP

9th: A low crime rate and high ease-of-business environment gives Singapore a high score. It has attracted a large number of expats and businesspeople who have left Hong Kong as a result of repeated pandemic lockdowns. Roslan Rahman / AFP

8th: At the heart of Europe, Czech Republic benefits from a strong economy, low crime rate and good transport ties. It ranks highly for its ecology and cleanliness, and its capital Prague attracted more than 2.4 million visitors in 2021. Milan Jaros / Bloomberg

7th: One of Europe's greenest countries, Slovenia is regarded as one of the most liveable places on the list. Jure Makovec / AFP

6th: Portugal has experienced a strong post-pandemic recovery and attracted high foreign investment, despite having one of the EU's heaviest debt burdens. Tourists have returned in their droves and an attractive long-term residency and citizenship scheme attracts many expats and foreign workers. AFP

5th: One of the most environmentally conscious nations in the world, Austria scores high on the list for peace, low crime, and liveability. Vienna is home to major international organisations including a dozen United Nations agencies. AFP

4th: Denmark scores highly for human rights, liveability and cleanliness. AFP

3rd: Dublin serves as the European headquarters of tech giants including Google and Facebook owner Meta. With heritage, history and a renowned sports culture, the Republic of Ireland sits close to the top of the chart. Reuters

2nd: The skyline of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The country ranks highly for peace, safety and happiness, despite high living costs. Its multicultural cities and welcoming people attract migrants from across the globe, and its handling of the pandemic was regarded as exemplary. Bloomberg

1st: Iceland tops the charts this year. Often ranked as among the happiest countries, its scores highly across every aspect of the peace index. Successful trials of a four-day working week in 2021 have been emulated around the world. AFP

Of the 23 indicators measured in the index, 10 showed improvement while 13 — including political terrorism, political instability and relationships with neighbouring countries — pointed to a deterioration.

Mr Killelea said relations between many countries in Eastern Europe have suffered as a consequence of the war, affecting nations close to Russia such as Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

But even without the war, he said there would have been a deterioration in peacefulness, although less severe.

“We had a whole range of other issues going on. Violent demonstrations are up 45 per in the last decade, and we can see that is a trend which is just creeping up and increasing,” he said.

“And if we start to look at the background conditions, which would have been there anyway but were turbocharged by the Ukrainian war, inflation is one of them.

“Food prices have been increasing each year since 2014 and it was creating more hardship for people. The war has turbocharged some of those things.”

As one of the major exporters of grain, Ukraine farmers are stuck with more than 20 million tonnes of stock that they cannot move.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, transporting the crops has become a logistical problem, resulting in rising food costs and the threat of hunger.

And as the war continues, Mr Killelea said peacefulness could dwindle over the next two years as attention is focused on other issues.

“When we look at the Ukraine war, it is going to have an impact on a whole range of different things globally,” he said.

“As we move into tighter economic conditions, governments are probably going to have less money for aid. They will prioritise Ukraine over places like Africa, which have got real and pressing issues [with food security and high rates of internally displaced people].

“I think what we can see with the Ukraine war is that the economics of war are crazy and do not make sense.

“We can see the massive destruction which it has caused in Ukraine, but in Russia we can also see the economic losses there from the invasion and the flow-on effects to other parts of the world.

“While these are terrible circumstances, I think people are realising that there are no economic gains from war, that wars are, economically, just crazy.”

A snapshot of the global state of peace

Global peacefulness has deteriorated in 11 of the 14 years since the index was launched.

This year, Europe remains the most peaceful region and is home to four of the five most peaceful countries — Iceland, Ireland, Denmark and Austria.

Iceland is the most peaceful country, a position it has held since the inception of the index. Afghanistan remains the least peaceful country, a position it has held for the past five years.

The five countries with the largest deteriorations were Ukraine, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Russia and Haiti, while the five countries with the biggest improvements were Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Algeria.

In the past year, 90 countries recorded improvements in peacefulness while 71 recorded deteriorations.

The index ranks countries on their state of peace based on 23 indicators, marking them as very high, high, medium, low and very low.