I liked your response on another thread where this subject came up, so I’m copying it here.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4053478/posts?page=80#80
To: Kevmo
TRUE Putin knows about the Major Natural Resources Of Ukraine:
The natural resources of Ukraine can be divided into three main groups; energy resource, metal ores, and non-metal ores.
Although it accounts for only 0.4% and 0.8% of the Earth’s land surface and world’s population respectively, the country has approximately 5% of the WORLD’S mineral resources. Over 20,000 deposits of 194 known minerals can be found in Ukraine. Of these deposits discovered, 7,800 deposits of over 90 hold important industrial minerals.
Ukraine has one of the leading reserves and extraction of MANGANESE, iron, and non-metallic raw material.
The country also has the LARGEST URANIUM deposit in Europe and accounts for 1.8% of the world’s uranium deposit. The proven reserves contain estimated 45,600 tons of uranium. Ukraine has 300 deposits of graphite, containing more than 1 billion tons or 20% of the world’s graphite. Only China has more graphite reserves (26% of the total world’s graphite reserve).
Putin wants the mines!
The mineral wealth of the area remains the same strategic prize that Adolf Hitler recognized during WWII.
1-Particularly Donbas, leads Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores, ranking seventh in the world overall. It ranks second in titanium ore reserves in Europe, second worldwide in explored reserves of manganese ores, and second in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves.
[Natural uranium and low-enriched uranium can be used as fuel for power generation nuclear reactors, research reactors, military plutonium production, and naval propulsion reactors. Highly enriched uranium can power naval propulsion, military plutonium and tritium production reactors, and act as feedstock for nuclear weapons production.]
2-Titanium alloys are some of the most common metals used in military applications for everything from aircraft parts to missile housings, armor plating, naval ship and spacecraft construction. Many more civil applications contribute to demand as well.
3-Manganese ores are vital to steel production, corrosion-resistant aluminum and copper alloys, battery cathodes, and nutritional supplements. Mercury ores are valuable in applications including munition fuzes, missile and space guidance system gyroscopes, infrared detection and lighting.
PUTIN ASSUMING FULL CONTROL OF THESE ASSETS is an obvious shortcut to exploit Ukraine infrastructure in the Donets Coal Basin won’t be the work of a moment for Russia. But assuming full control of these assets is an obvious start.
PLUS, He wants to keep Crimea.
Other major resources include mercury (2% of the world, 30,000 tons, ranking it 5th after Spain, China, Algeria, and Kyrgyzstan), potash salt, gold, building material, ornamental stones, and hydropower resources.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-major-natural-resources-of-ukraine.html
OFFSHORE
“Just prior to the collapse of the Yanukovych government [PUTIN’S PUPPET], Ukraine was very close to signing a $735 million production-sharing agreement with ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell.
The deal would have seen two wells drilled off the southwest coast of Crimea in the Skifska area. The operators were optimistic that even though no drilling had taken place in this block, a recent natural gas discovery in the Romanian part of the Black Sea could be a harbinger of economic reserves in the Skifska licence.
Going back further, in 2012, the two companies along with Romania’s OMV Petrom and Ukraine’s state-owned Nadra Ukrainy were picked to spend between $10 and $12 billion to develop the Skifska field which is projected to have reserves of between 7 and 8.8 Tcf and would have produced about 175 Bcf per year over a 50 year production sharing deal, REDUCING UKRAINE’S VERY HEAVY DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTED GAS FROM THECLUTCHES RUSSIA.
Not surprisingly, the deal was contested by Russia’s Lukoil.
SO, ExxonMobil announced in early March 2014 that further activity on its Skifska license were on hold until the illegitimate annexation of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine was resolved.”
80 posted on 4/8/2022, 10:02:00 PM by UMCRevMom@aol.com