It is not Russia's missiles that the West fears; it is Russia's resources that the West covets.
https://x.com/aprajitanefes/status/2105326501277450335
|It is not Russia's missiles that the West fears; it is Russia's resources that the West covets.
Margaret Thatcher once remarked that Russia possesses an abundance of resources. This was no idle comment; it lies at the very core of the West's policy toward Russia.
She did not speak of "Russia threatening Europe" or "Russia invading NATO." She spoke of *resources*. For resources are the true stakes. Resources are the true motive. Resources are the cause of this war.
What does Russia possess?
Natural gas: Ranked first globally. Reserves of approximately 37 trillion cubic meters, accounting for 24% of the world's proven reserves.
Oil: Ranked eighth globally. Reserves of approximately 80 billion barrels.
Forests: Ranked first globally. Accounting for 20% of the world's total forest area.
Palladium: Ranked first globally. Accounting for 40% of global production. Without it, your car's catalytic converter wouldn't function, and your mobile phone wouldn't work.
Nickel: Ranked first globally. Essential for batteries, stainless steel, and the defense industry.
Titanium: VSMPO-Avisma—a supplier to Boeing and Airbus. Without Russian titanium, the West could not build aircraft.
Wheat: The world's largest exporter.
Fertilizers: The world's largest exporter.
Rare earth elements: Vast reserves, yet underdeveloped precisely what the West desires.
Gold: Ranked second globally. Reserves of approximately 7,500 tons.
These are not merely "resources." They are the lifeblood of industry. They are the lifeline of warfare. They are the skeletal framework of civilization.
The 1990s: How the West Attempted to Plunder Russia
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West saw an opportunity not to "help Russia democratize," but to acquire the country.
The "Loans-for-Shares" scheme: Russian state assets were sold off at rock-bottom prices. Yukos Oil, valued at billions of dollars, was purchased by Khodorkovsky for $309 million. Norilsk Nickel, the world's largest nickel producer, was bought by Potanin for $170 million. US Advisors: Consultants from the Harvard Institute for International Development guided Russia through "shock therapy." What was their advice? Privatization, liberalization, and opening the capital account. In plain terms: selling off Russian assets to the West.
Western Companies: BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Total, Halliburton. They moved into Russia’s oil, gas, mining, and financial sectors. They weren't "investing in Russia"; they were acquiring it.
The Result: Russia’s GDP shrank by 40% in the 1990s. Millions fell into poverty. Life expectancy dropped. Birth rates collapsed. Meanwhile, a handful of oligarchs amassed immense wealth.
What Putin Did
After taking power in 2000, Putin did something the West could never forgive: he reclaimed the country's resources.
2003: Khodorkovsky arrested. Yukos dismantled. Assets auctioned off to Rosneft. Sechin took the helm.
2005: Gazprom re-nationalized. The state secured a majority stake.
2006: Strategic Industries Law passed. Restrictions placed on foreign investment in oil, gas, minerals, and the defense industry.
2013: Gazprom acquired the "Power of Siberia" pipeline project. Gas supplies to China began.
2014: Crimea reclaimed. Black Sea gas reserves. A strategic foothold for Russia.
2022: "Special Military Operation." Lithium, coal, and rare earths in Donbas. Ukraine’s "black earth" (fertile soil). Oil and gas in the Black Sea.
Putin is not a "dictator." He is a resource nationalist. He wrested Russia's resources from Western capital and returned them to the Russian state.
That is why the West hates him. It’s not about "human rights." It’s not about "democracy." It’s about Yukos. It’s about Gazprom. It’s about palladium. It’s about titanium. It’s about wheat. It’s about fertilizer.
The Nord Stream Pipelines: Who Blew Them Up, Who Benefited?
September 26, 2022. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were blown up on the bed of the Baltic Sea. This was a direct attack on Russia's energy export infrastructure. It was a direct attack on Europe's energy security.
Who benefited?
The United States: US LNG exporters. They sold natural gas to Europe at four times the price. They replaced Russia. They made hundreds of billions of dollars.
Ukraine: Russian pipeline transit fees vanished. Ukraine lost its energy leverage over Europe.
Poland: Poland had long opposed Nord Stream. Poland aspired to become an energy hub. Poland imports LNG from the US.
Norway: Norway's natural gas exports increased. Norway replaced Russia. Norway made tens of billions of dollars.
Who suffered?
Russia: Lost the European market. Lost pipeline export capacity. Lost tens of billions of dollars in revenue.
Germany: Lost cheap energy. Lost industrial competitiveness. Lost billions in Nord Stream pipeline investments. German industry is deindustrializing. BASF is closing plants. Volkswagen is laying off workers.
Europe: Lost cheap Russian natural gas. Lost energy security. Lost its industrial base.
Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize winner reported that US Navy divers, with Norwegian assistance, planted the explosives. No one was held accountable. No one was investigated. No one was sanctioned.
The War in Ukraine: A War for Resources
Donbas:
Lithium: The Shevchenko lithium deposit. One of the largest in Europe. Crucial for electric vehicle batteries.
Coal: The Donbas coalfields. Ukraine's industrial heartland.
Rare Earths: Ukraine holds Europe's largest rare earth reserves. Underdeveloped. The West wants them.
Crimea:
Black Sea Natural Gas: The Crimean continental shelf. Billions of cubic meters of natural gas.
Strategic Location: Sevastopol. Base of the Black Sea Fleet. The Black Sea:
Oil and Gas: The Black Sea continental shelf, a zone of contention among Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia.
Grain: Ukrainian wheat, corn, and sunflower oil critical to global food security.
This is not a "territorial dispute." It is a struggle for resources. It is not "democracy vs. authoritarianism." It is about who controls the resources of the Eurasian landmass.
Brzezinski’s "Grand Chessboard"
Zbigniew Brzezinski wrote *The Grand Chessboard* in 1997. What was his core argument?
"Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire."
Translation: Ukraine is the key to Russia becoming an empire. Control Ukraine, and you control Russia. Control Russia, and you control Eurasia. Control Eurasia, and you control the world's resources.
Brzezinski wasn't just "analyzing"; he was formulating a strategy. And this is the strategy the US has been executing since 1991: NATO expansion. EU expansion. Color revolutions. The coup in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine.
The goal: Dismember Russia. Control its resources. Turn Russia into another Iraq, Libya, or Syria.
Russia possesses vast resources. The West wants them. That is the reason for the war.
posted by Satish Sharma at
02:25
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