Honestly, I don't understand why this story isn't getting more attention...  
  
Back on May 24, Russia indefinitely banned the transit of Kazakh sulfur through its railway network to international ports. Since Kazakhstan is landlocked, this basically cuts them off from the world market.

I think people don't realize how big a deal this is for global food security.   
Sulfur is essential for making fertilizers. Kazakhstan alone accounts for about 5 percent of the world’s sulfur production. If that sulfur can't reach global markets, fertilizer prices go up, and suddenly growing food at the scale we need becomes a lot harder.

Why this happens?: Ukraine hit Russia's major gas processing plants, which basically wiped out Russia's own domestic sulfur supply.   
So now the Kremlin is grabbing Kazakh sulfur for its own agricultural needs, while simultaneously squeezing major Western energy firms like Chevron, Shell, and TotalEnergies who invest heavily in these Kazakh projects.

I have a few questions, if anyone has the answers:

\- Is a transit ban like this even legal? Kazakhstan is landlocked. They don't have some kind of guaranteed transit rights to the sea?

\- What can Western countries do about this?

It is so sad/frustrating to see how easily an authoritarian regime weaponizes a basic commodity to threaten food supplies and pressure democratic nations.  
I feel like this deserves way more attention.

What do you think?

Shifting priorities: why Russia blocked sulfur exports from Kazakhstan