The National Review draws attention to another consequence of the Russian war against Ukraine – its control over a portion of Ukrainian natural resources. Considerable mineral resources are concentrated in the regions Russia has already occupied or is trying to capture.
The estimated value of the mineral deposits within Ukraine exceeds $26T. Deposits worth $12T are in territories that Ukraine currently does not control or where fighting is taking place. These resources are not just coal or iron ore: The country has considerable deposits of natural gas, oil, shelf gas, 7% of the world’s titanium deposits, 20% of global graphite, and almost 500,000 tons of lithium, which is becoming a valuable strategic element with the growth in demand driven by the world’s need for batteries.
This provides a partial answer to the question of why Moscow decided to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and continues its efforts despite the huge losses to its economy and demographics.