August 2, 2025:
In late 2024 the Ukrainians accused Russia of using Chloropicrin gas against Ukrainian soldiers. Chloropicrin is currently used to fumigate the soil before crops are planted. It was frequently used by both sides during World War One. After the war everyone agreed that it was best to ban the use of chemical weapons. That ban generally held until the Russians resumed manufacturing Chloropicrin for use against the Ukrainian. Not content with that, Russia is using malware against NATO countries. The Russian cyber threat group APT 28 is distributing the malware throughout NATO countries in an effort to disrupt aid for Ukraine.
These chemical attacks are nothing new. It has long been known that if you attack an opponent's food supplies, they weaken your foe substantially. Since the 19th Century, use of chemical fertilizers, and the ability to mass produce ammonia and nitrogen based fertilizers, has more than doubled food production. This has also created a potential vulnerability because there are only about 500 ammonia production facilities worldwide, all really massive. Sabotage or aerial bombing of ammonia plants would have a direct impact on food supplies.
Some nations may have secret plans to attack ammonia plants in wartime, but most military planners consider such attacks impractical. A similar mistake was made during World War II, when the committee formed to select and prioritize targets for the allies aerial bombing campaign of Germany ignored one key element. After the war the United States conducted an after-action study of the bombing campaign and discovered that an important target system had been ignored. The German electrical power production was very vulnerable, and damage was difficult to repair, because the massive electricity generators took months to build and Germany had few of these in reserve.
For thousands of years, wars have often been decided by control of food supplies. Victory could be won without fighting by rapidly destroying enemy crops and key supporting equipment like flour mills or draft animals to assist with planting and harvesting. If you cripple an opponent's food supply, you deplete the supply of military manpower and food to supply an army on campaign. The most successful armies in history were usually those that paid close attention to food supplies. Russia is doing the same, but is using Chloropicrin against Ukrainian soldiers and, perhaps, farmers as well.
