So why did Putin invade Ukraine? My understanding, which is, of course, limited, is that Putin wants a buffer between Russia and the NATO countries, countries he views as hostile to Russia.
So why did Putin invade Ukraine?
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https://www.azomining.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=47
Ukraine has rich deposits of brimstone and mineral wax, extractions of potassium and rock salts have been carried out for centuries. Additionally, the Nikopol basin in Ukraine has the world’s largest manganese-ore fields. Natural gas and oil are concentrated at the Black Sea Coast-Crimea oil and gas-bearing regions and Dnipro-Donets.
Metals
The most critical metals produced in Ukraine include aluminum, iron, manganese, and titanium.
The Golden Gate in Kyiv
The Golden Gate in Kyiv. Image Credit: CIA Factbook
Ukraine has been ranked eighth in steel production, according to the World Steel Association. The country’s prominent producer of crude steel is Metinvest. In 2010, 69% of steel was produced in oxygen converter furnaces, 26% of steel was developed in open-hearth furnaces, and 5% of steel was developed in electric arc furnaces. From January to November of 2018, Ukrainian steel producers distributed approximately 17 million tons of steel to countries around the world.
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Ukraine ranks sixth in global iron ore production. In 2018, Ukraine exported almost 37 billion tons of iron ore, which amounted to a total earning of USD 2.9 billion.
The country is the seventh-highest manganese ore producer in the world. In 2017, 380,000 metric tons (MT) of marketable manganese concentrates were produced by Ukraine, which was a reduction from the 425,000 MT produced in 2016.
Ukraine also ranks ninth in global ilmenite production, which is a critical mineral used as an ore of both titanium and iron, as well as a flux in blast furnaces. In 2018, Ukraine produced 300,000 MT of ilmenite...
Putin does not want Ukraine to join the EU and follow the success of other former Eastern Bloc nations which have done so. EU regs inevitably tamp down the sort of gross corruptions that pull a country down, while creating super-rich oligarchs whose most notable skill is sucking off wealth for themselves.
Plus he wants to restore the Russian Empire (no joke, it is in his speeches.)