Yep, the food shortages are simply a means to an end (although some do have depopulation as an end goal). By having food riots in the developing world, that opens up new opportunities for color revolutions to install new liberal governments. It also will put pressure on Europe as a whole with a new refugee crisis. Russia may feel some pressure, but it will be moreso discomfort than a genuine crisis I believe unless Ukraine turns into anything like a more competent Afghan insurgency, which will potentially exhaust the Russian people. What they're trying to do with Russia is death by a thousand cuts. Food, conventional war, embargoes, cyberwar, refugees, color revolutions among their neighbors, cultural degeneracy, health tyranny, these are all tools they use to remove governments and manipulate populations.