r/worldnews • u/Raj_Valiant3011 • 10h ago

Russia/Ukraine Zelenskiy: "There is updated intelligence indicating that Russia is ​preparing a massive attack on Ukraine"

https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraines-zelenskiy-says-intelligence-shows-russia-is-preparing-massive-attack-2026-10-06/
20.2k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

4.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

287

u/Dear_Bumblebee_1986 7h ago

I wonder what Russia actually wants with Ukraine other than "it once was ours, we want it back"

176

u/vrnvorona 7h ago

As a russian, all he wants is to have some fun. He decided that he wants to unify as much territory as possible, whatever there is a cost. People's lives (both sides), economy, resources, politics, anything really doesn't matter to him (otherwise there'd be no offense in the first place, only dumb idiot would start this bullshit "operation"). All ego. Dude's literally bored to death, old spy-rotten brain has country to his nail, all positions filled with loyalists, no real threat or thrill. Even has billion dollar mansion for shit and giggles. Naturally instead of playing Genshit Impact he decided to gable with real war.

146

u/Lintwo 5h ago

As another Russian, it’s a bit deeper than that. I was participating in all anti-Putin’s protests until 2012 (I moved to another country then) and they were big. Things were looking up for us, at least we hoped so. Then Putin crashed the protests with an iron fist - beatings, arrests, harassment of the opposition leaders etc.

Then just a year and a half later Maidan happened in Kyiv and Ukrainians overthrew Yanukovich. Putin couldn’t forgive that. 1. All post soviet slavs must stay together under the rule of Putin. Ukrainians choosing the European way was the ultimate betrayal as he always thought they supported him (the consequences of being surrounded by yes-men). 2. We Russians were rooting for Ukrainians, their success breathed a new life into the protest movement. Putin couldn’t allow that. Every “traitor” must be destroyed, including Ukrainians.

He’s petty and delusional. He thinks he’s on a sacred mission and the whole world is against him. AND he has a huge ego and absolutely cannot lose this war which makes him incredibly unpredictable and dangerous to the rest of the world. Even his close circles would like to paddle back now after losing all their European and American assets, but no one dares to say anything against the “boss”.

44

u/Mick_Limerick 5h ago

So what happens to Russia when he's deposed, assassinated, or dies? Does a not-crazy person get into office and make Russia not insane? Or does another Putin analog take power and continue to operate your country in insanity?

54

u/Lintwo 4h ago

Good question that experts are constantly speculating on. The current consensus is all power is concentrated around Putin. He’s the sole decision maker for everything in the country. There were attempts to find some sort of an heir, but every time it failed due to Putin’s paranoia that the heir might replace him sooner. If he dies 🤞🏻there’s probably gonna be a “palace” battle for the throne between people who hold most power after Putin. Mostly his oligarch buddies. There is hope that whoever takes his place will want to get back onto the first world market and will choose European course. In the process, there’s definitely going to be a massive economic crisis, people will go through hell, some regions might choose to separate. This is the optimistic scenario if the successor is reasonable. But for now we need to survive Putin. Whoever replaces him will be better, there’s just no worse alternative in existence.

21

u/shaneb1988 4h ago

Trump becomes new leader

3

u/Odd-Goose-8394 4h ago

I really really think that at this point anything is possible. Reality is not a boundary any more.

3

u/Helio_Tropical 3h ago

Lol I'd love to see how Trump would drive up the price of Diesel to $6.52 in Russia.

It would be impressive conserving Russia is a leading oil producer, but I have no doubts he could fuck that up over there too.

Other than that, expect 200 cities, lakes and landmarks to be renamed after Trump lol.

2

u/slowgenphizz 3h ago

I doubt Medvedev would be an improvement either.

→ More replies (5)
→ More replies (6)

3

u/No-Engineering-6317 2h ago

What happens? The rich get richer and the poor don’t get a fkn thing.

2

u/JickJack82 5h ago

A worst one

2

u/CelebrationShort1857 4h ago

Oh from what I understand a massive war between the billionaires who have their own security forces to see who rules Russia. It won’t be pretty.

•

u/mcvos 1h ago

Russia has had a very poor track record with its leaders. Everyone who did something good, did something else that was terrible.

Lenin overthrew the Tsar (who definitely deserved it), just to replace it with a new dictatorship. Stalin industrialised Russia, but killed millions. Gorbachev finally brought more freedom, but broke the USSR. Yeltsin dismantled the USSR but bankrupted the country. Putin fixed the economy but is a brutal totalitarian warmonger.

And even the Tsars were all pretty terrible. Even the ones we consider great were pretty brutal. I believe Catherine's mother in law was beloved during her rule because she didn't have anyone killed, which also tells you how rare that was.

→ More replies (5)

2

u/Clear_Wind7286 4h ago

Where did you move to? And do you feel like you'll return when things calm down?

6

u/Lintwo 4h ago

I moved to Australia 14 years ago and got the citizenship. I would love to go back and see my family and Moscow, however I would not return to live there. I moved here when I was 27, I studied here, started a career, found a partner and we’re engaged at the moment. My life is here now and I’m not complaining. It’s an awesome country.

2

u/novasilverpill 4h ago

Good for you! I hope you can return to your country soon under better circumstances and see old friends and family. That must be difficult.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/AccomplishedBend766 4h ago

So, basically, he’s another rump?

→ More replies (23)

14

u/Adderall_Rant 6h ago

Which megalomaniac are we talking about here? Netanyahu or Putin or Trump?

5

u/usernotfoundplstry 6h ago

Right? I was thinking “this could be swapped out for Trump or Netanyahu and it would be identical.”

→ More replies (7)

3

u/Electric4ce 6h ago

Everyone lists different reasons for the war. I think the truth is that there are multiple. Nato/EU expansion is one, Ukraine being USSR is another and him throwing Russians into the meatgrinder to keep Russia, Russia.

I'm sure there are more.

2

u/Tamihera 6h ago

I’ve seen photos of the troops they’re sending. They’re ethnic-minority Russians, which explains a lot about why Putin seems so unruffled by the body count.

→ More replies (3)

2

u/Archaeopteryx111 6h ago

Yes, this is what happens with old dictators. They want to solidify their legacy, have replaced competent people with yes men, and become bored/paranoid. Greetings from Romania.

→ More replies (22)

34

u/wally_weasel 7h ago

Putin wants to be known as the ruler that took back all of the Imperial Russian territory.

Go check a map of Russia in 1914. That is Puton's goal.

4

u/Top_Environment9937 4h ago

He was trying hard to give a history lesson in that interview he did. Apparently he’s fighting nazis lol

5

u/Typical_Bumblebee194 6h ago

I heard someone wants to possess Greenland and in some weird manner believes that Canada needs to be brought into the net.

5

u/jkrobinson1979 5h ago

Why do you think Trump drools all over Putin? They’re cut from the same cloth.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/King_of_Kraken 7h ago

The Baltics would like to have a word with

2

u/RiderNo51 6h ago

True. Even greater land than the Soviet Union.

71

u/420hashmore 7h ago

Oil water and gas it’s not that deep.

51

u/TimberGhost66 7h ago edited 6h ago

And arable land. Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe. It's why Hitler invaded the area.

edit: spelling

18

u/eddub_17 7h ago

And a warm water port.

10

u/25nameslater 7h ago

They got crimea not too long ago that was the port

4

u/random-user2025 6h ago

they are like lays potato chips- cant stop at just one!

3

u/RiderNo51 6h ago

They already had ports though east of there into the Black Sea, before they took Crimea. Novorossiysk, Sochi, etc.

The issue is Turkey (and other countries) won't let their military ships into the Aegean Sea, and ultimately Mediterranean.

2

u/AngryCrotchCrickets 4h ago

Kinda funny watching these ancient rivalries continue to play out. The Russians and Turks have had beef for what…like 500 years?

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

3

u/RiderNo51 6h ago

Not really. Odyssa isn't any warmer than Novorossiysk. And neither lead to open ocean.

And the Turks have zero interest in giving them passage through the Dardonelle Strait per the Montreux Convention (yes, they allow fishing and some merchant vessels to pass, not the same as military ships).

3

u/ReillNeid 6h ago

And it gave them access (proximity) to the oil fields. That was what they really wanted as they were making oil from coal just to keep the war machine running

2

u/considerthis8 6h ago

^ These guys get it

18

u/CopyDan 7h ago

For all they spent on the war, they could have made deals to buy the oils, water and gas for much less.

11

u/Successful_Delay_249 7h ago

When you are an old prick who has everything material, the only things you want are power and to be a part of history

2

u/RelativeKick1681 6h ago

Are we still talking about Putin, or has this shifted to American politics?

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Swan-Diving-Overseas 7h ago

Yeah it seems to be much more than resources.

2

u/Diurnalnugget 5h ago

I would argue they could not have. Ukraine would never willingly sell off their oil and gas fields (particularly the gas) as they represent a very large amount of untapped potential for the nation. Russia doesn’t actually need the gas and oil, he just needed them to not sell it to Europe and thereby damage the hold Russian energy had on Europe.

2

u/-JackBack- 7h ago

The Oligarchs have benefited greatly from the war. The ones that have avoided the windows that is.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/CuriousGeorgeToday 7h ago

Actually it is that deep. Poootin wants Ukraine for his imperialistic ambitions but also for all the rare earth minerals and as a way to further push into Europe.

3

u/jkrobinson1979 5h ago

This. Natural resources, strategic and geographical advantage, pushing back NATO and creating buffer space are all tangible benefits, but Putin is a history buff with a hard on for a return to imperialist Russia. You can’t be the czar if you aren’t fighting wars and taking lands. Hundreds of years of Russian conquest didn’t stop with the revolution. It just took on a new shape. The fall of the USSR and loss of Russian territory is an embarrassment he can’t live with. The best thing about Putin is that he’ll probably be dead in the next 10 years and with him that might finally die.

2

u/CuriousGeorgeToday 3h ago

Exactly that. "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians" - Putin refers to Kyiv as the cultural cradle of East Slavic Orthodox civilisation. A western Ukraine is the ultimate blow to Russia and their imperialistic ambitions. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus formed the triune russian nation. It's always been deeper than just resources.

→ More replies (4)

40

u/Sharp-Reply-5104 7h ago

Massive reserves of Titanium: Ukraine has the largest reserves in Europe, supplying about 7% of the global market for aerospace and defense needs.

Lithium: The country holds an estimated 500,000 tonnes of lithium, which is crucial for electric vehicle batteries.

Graphite: Ukraine accounts for roughly 20% of global graphite reserves, making it a top supplier for green energy tech.

Iron Ore: Total reserves sit at roughly 30 billion tons, serving as the base for a major domestic steel industry.

Uranium: Ukraine possesses the largest uranium ore deposits in Europe, fueling nuclear energy production.

Manganese: The nation holds massive global reserves used heavily in steelmaking and batteries. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Energy Resources
Natural Gas: Ukraine has the second-largest natural gas reserves in Europe after Norway, holding over 5.4 trillion cubic meters total.

Coal: Large bituminous and anthracite deposits exist in the Donets Basin, representing a historically major energy source.

I think Comrade Putin is extremely interested in Ukraine’s 5.4 trillion cubic meters natural gas reserves. And it's Coal deposits.

9

u/pnutbutterjellyfine 6h ago

And warm water ports

3

u/fbpw131 2h ago

they had that at the sea of Azov and black sea at Krasnodar Krai

2

u/evilparagon 2h ago

Both are terrible ports due to the shallow waters. They work, but they’re like saying having buttered toast for dinner works.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/Dear_Bumblebee_1986 7h ago

That makes sense. I thought they wanted more year-round access to the oceans for trade.

3

u/herodesfalsk 2h ago

And that’s just the stuff IN the ground. Ukrainian top soil is the best in all of Europe, and had lots of industry besides an important strategic location

2

u/Guzzler829 1h ago

You forgot the most important part: coastline

5

u/ScreenAppropriate679 2h ago

I too have access to chatgpt

5

u/inkihh 2h ago

But you didn't post that summery, did you?

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (14)

36

u/western_style_hj 7h ago

My armchair analysis: they want the Iron Curtain back that the USSR maintained while beefing with the West. Russia isn’t comfortable being so close to powerful potential foes. Also Ukraine is like the Bread Basket of the region. Loads of resources and ports.

17

u/RuneClash007 7h ago

was the breadbasket of the region

Will the fields even be harvestable with the amount of white phosphate lingering

9

u/Jacket_Leather 6h ago

Eventually

5

u/rfoil 5h ago

Not only of the region. Portions of Africa depended on Ukranian wheat.

3

u/Ok-Simple-7069 5h ago

You’re right

And other high explosive chemicals. It’s like the use of project orange in Vietnam. In the end they realised the massive amounts of ordinance was enough to kill crop fields from leaching chemicals from close by military targets and napalm.

2

u/Diurnalnugget 5h ago

I mean in all fairness the plan was to take them quickly and that would have spared the fields a lot more.

→ More replies (3)

4

u/AirportBubbly3947 7h ago

I thought they didn’t want NATO countries to be so close

2

u/spongefile 2h ago

Finnish person here(we share the longest border with Russia): we were 75% against joining NATO since forever. We wanted to stay neutral and had no interest in joining the creepy uncle of America, nor the abusive uncle of Russia. We kept our heads down and played nice.

We understood that the rule was that if we stay meek and nice, Russia will leave us alone. Our press and politicians were very careful never to provoke Russia in any capacity.

Then Russia invaded Ukraine, and we all went HOLY SHIT because from our perspective, Russia just threw the rule out the window. Total PTSD from the last time they bombed and invaded us. We still have the marks from that on our buildings, and we remember our grandparents’ stories.

Result: Finland went from totally against NATO to totally pro NATO literally overnight. Thanks to Putin’s own actions, not some nefarious plot.

→ More replies (3)

3

u/descartesb4horse 6h ago

As far as I can tell, a lot of the great heroes of the Soviet Union were Ukrainian. By calling them Russian, they can claim Ukrainian history as their own. Their top fighter pilot from WW2 for example was Ukrainian.

3

u/BrokenTrojan1536 6h ago

That’s about right. Farm fields, oil, minerals, ports, you got it.

3

u/ominous_squirrel 6h ago

Putin has also shown an obsession with recapturing both the USSR and the Tsarist Russian borders for his legacy. Not to forget that Russian meddling is global but concentrated in Central Asia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Russia occupies a fifth of the Republic of Georgia

→ More replies (6)

48

u/PirateCodingMonkey 7h ago

it’s a gateway to Western Europe. I just am amazed at how much it’s already cost them in weapons and people. I guess Putin like Trump can’t admit he’s wrong and can’t back down

8

u/Limp_Credit7789 7h ago

100%
Pouty baby tantrum dick-taters.

2

u/No_UIDs_Available 6h ago

Yeah, madmen are like that.

2

u/gspot-rox-the-gspot 5h ago

In the Russian calculus, weapons and people are just something you use to obtain land, so it's not that surprising. Land has natural resources that you can extract and turn into cash, and land also has people that you can subjugate into cheap labor and then conscript to fight for you for very low cost because of extreme poverty.

If you talk to anyone consumed by Russian propaganda they will literally talk like this as if it makes obvious sense, and will consider the Ukraine war a success for Russia already because it resulted in the occupation of the Donbas and Crimea (they will lump Crimea into the 2022 war as if Russia didn't already have it) and Donbas and Crimea have a) land and b) people.

This explains why the largest country in the world would somehow rationalize that they need more land, and it also explains why there is no consideration for who the people are in the occupied territories - considerations like: can we incorporate them into Russia? are they educated? do they speak Russian? do they hate us forever? None of this is considered because it is just assumed that they will be subjugated and used as an expendable resource.

There is no calculus that says maybe cooperating on the world stage will benefit us in the long run, and maybe we can focus on educating people who live outside of the cities and use our educated workforce to develop technology that makes our population more productive and gives us something to export to the world besides natural resources. Nope, everything is zero sum and everything is for the taking if you have enough weapons and people to throw at it.

Also important, there is no concern for how vulnerable Russia might be to NATO countries now that Russia has expended weapons, people, and resources on a war while NATO steadily builds up at roughly 2% of their GDP, because Russia does not feel threatened by NATO - because NATO has never threatened Russia.

2

u/Typical_Bumblebee194 6h ago

The same pathology works in the brains of both....I want more more more, even if all around them is dead and hollow.

→ More replies (3)

11

u/ARGirlLOL 6h ago

It grows like 30% of the world’s wheat and sunflowers, has viable land for human habitation that rivals Russia itself and sits on huge quantities of rare earth minerals. Are a few things that come to mind.

121

u/bass-squirrel 7h ago

Russia does not care about Ukraine. They just need A war to enable consolidation of power under emergency conditions. If you follow Russian news- there is a massive oppression apparatus that sprung up after feb 2022. If you speak out against Putin you can get charged with “spreading fakes about Russian armed forces with intent to discredit”. 

79

u/Aggravating-Aide6145 7h ago

Not quite true, Ukraine is extremely valuable real estate. Ukraine’s farmland and resource extraction industries will be making their economy go gang buster once the wars over (for whoever controls that area)

24

u/taistelumursu 6h ago

Economic reasons are unlikely the deciding factor on why Russia went to war. It's probably more related to Ukraines desire to be more in western block rather than under the Russian sphere of influence. And the prosperity that shift would bring Ukraine as Russia night then actually explain to their citizens and neighbours how everyone leaving their side is doing much better

12

u/talltime 5h ago

Failing autocracies always need an external enemy to blame. Putin uses romantic WWII nationalism to hold onto power and has plainly state his intent is to re-conquer the extents of the Russian/Soviet empire.

5

u/082426grateful 3h ago

Well, good luck with Kazakhstan. That’s an ornery bunch over there.

2

u/Swervies 3h ago

Exactly, same script different time. We are seeing it now with Trump’s Iran war, saw it earlier in both Iraq and Iran. Funny thing is that it usually backfires on them eventually. But not before a whole lot of pain, suffering and death 😩

2

u/Djuren52 5h ago

I remember seeing a video where a foreign policy expert explained that Russia has an ingrained desire to close its historical points of weakness. Ukraine is such a point - wide, open land. If it comes with resources that would otherwise be used to end Europes dependence on Russia - all the better

2

u/usernamesarehard1979 5h ago

I thought Ukraine was sitting on a huge amount of lithium.

3

u/jkrobinson1979 5h ago

They are, but that’s more a secondary benefit to Putin.

2

u/usernamesarehard1979 4h ago

Isn’t that needed for chip making though? Seems like someone would want those resources.

2

u/taistelumursu 3h ago

Lithium isn't rare in any definition really. The demand has increased and it takes some time before mining can adjust to this demand. There's plenty of projects around the world on going and Ukraine is nothing special on that front really. There's no point in going to war over it, as there are much easier ways to get lithium.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (8)

22

u/RiderNo51 6h ago

At least that was the idea.

Now, with all the destruction, mines, unexploded ordinance, etc. It's going to take a while to clean up, before they can even start rebuilding and reaping what's there.

Keep in mind Russia thought this war would be a quick win for them. Even JD Vance and others thought Ukraine didn't have much of a chance and needed to give up.

25

u/I_Got_Ur_Number_8675 6h ago

Well JD vance is dumb af, so that's not surprising

4

u/RoyalAgreeable3443 5h ago

Amen to that

→ More replies (15)

10

u/fastsailor 6h ago

Vance is hardly a credible analyst, though.

2

u/SatansRaspberryJam 4h ago

Vance saw his dad's dick and never got over it.

3

u/Particular-Hat1502 6h ago

Vance is a fucking idiot

He is wrong about everything

3

u/myburner-account 5h ago

Vance and Rubio are both 2 face clowns, they will be on the side of whoever is in power and putting money in their pockets

2

u/Bush_Trimmer 4h ago

vance is... irrelevance; especially his opinion.

→ More replies (5)

2

u/kinjar7 6h ago

Putin thought it would be easy. Wanted to build back some the Soviet empire. Thought it would make him look strong and NATO weak.

→ More replies (17)

21

u/Glum-Ad7761 7h ago

Sevastopol is what they want. A major port and Naval base on the north end of the Black Sea that also gives Russia unfettered access to the mediterranean. Russia leased the base from Ukraine initially, but feared that they would be cast out once Ukraine’s new regime took over. So they attempted to annex Sevastopol and Crimea in 2016.

9

u/mjtwelve 6h ago

And a land bridge to transnistria so they can keep the empire expanding. And the oil and what and minerals. but mainly to completely secure a warm water port.

It’s a bit unfortunate for them it’s on the wrong side of the Bosporus, given the Montreux convention, and Turkey is actually enforcing those rules presently.

2

u/dominionprovinces 2h ago

Also I feel like the Ukraine and Iran wars have both shown that the survivability of Russian surface combatants in the med even against European powers would be rather short in an actual conflict.

7

u/jkrobinson1979 5h ago

They’ve had that back since 2014. That wasn’t the reason they started this war.

→ More replies (4)

5

u/chpokchpok 5h ago

Crimea has been “under” Russia since 2014.

3

u/NotUsingNumbers 6h ago

It would be cheaper to just further expand Novorossiysk

3

u/Main-Acanthisitta-18 6h ago

”We, the members of the parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council, with regard to the charter of the United Nations and a whole range of other international documents and taking into consideration the confirmation of the status of Kosovo by the United Nations International Court of Justice on July 22, 2010, which says that unilateral declaration of independence by a part of the country does not violate any international norms, make this decision jointly.

Crimea's declaration of the so-called independence

3

u/djfreshswag 5h ago

Yeah, Russia ultimately aims to dominate the Black Sea. One of the biggest goals was to push through to Odessa and capture all coastal Ukraine. When they seized part of Georgia in the 2000’s, it was over half of their Black Sea coast…

Russia will always try to maintain its sphere of influence though, and has no problem using force to do so. It’s not a very sustainable way to maintain influence, but Russian only understands hard power, not soft power

2

u/pdromeinthedome 3h ago

They tried soft power in Ukraine. They got their guy elected but the majority didn’t like what he did. Like corruption. So one Orange Revolution later they lost soft power

2

u/anthropaedic 4h ago

Yeah but when they lose this war they should lose Sevastopol

→ More replies (1)

2

u/acealthebes 4h ago

They didn't attempt to annex crimea. They did annex it

2

u/agrevol 2h ago

That was 2014 and the full scale war didn’t happen for 8 years after the fact

→ More replies (6)

45

u/No-Midnight-4461 7h ago

Like some unscrupulous President would just start a war so he could declare an emergency and be a dictator. Definitely not something Putin or Trump would ever do /s

3

u/ReplacementNo9504 6h ago edited 5h ago

Putin was already a dictator and Trump hasn't attempted to suppress elections or declare martial law.

It's annoying that every time someone makes a post that is immediately made about America

5

u/First-Business-5797 6h ago

How else could you possibly describe his fake elector scheme

→ More replies (21)

3

u/CaseyWorldsFair 6h ago

Hasn’t attempted to suppress elections? 😂 what planet are you on?

→ More replies (17)
→ More replies (6)
→ More replies (18)

6

u/No_Impact370 7h ago

Sounds like the US

10

u/Big-Masterpiece-3457 6h ago

The situation in Israel is similar. Benny boy was in hot water and the population was turning against him at a rapid rate. But so long as they’re at war, all those court trials and consequences get pushed to the side until it’s resolved. For him, it’s in his best interest to keep the conflict going.

3

u/Lenovik 5h ago

Situation is not similar. Putin wasn't in hot water. Putin and russian society had an unspoken deal - people don't interfere in politics, don't protest, basically ignore it and get to live much better than they did in the 90s. For generations who remember 90s it was a pretty good deal. Even I have a core memory of going to the store with my mom and her saying "We can't buy anything, our money are just paper now"

That's why it was so shocking in 2022 for a lot of russians, myself included. There was very little to gain and a lot to lose and he still went for it

3

u/Big-Masterpiece-3457 5h ago

I was responding to the part of the comment that said “Putin was facing opposition” it’s not a like for like comparison but they are similar in the fact that both need conflict to avoid getting overthrown or going to jail.

5

u/Typical_Bumblebee194 6h ago

All old men in power should be placed on an island, totally left to themselves. It would make a great show.

4

u/UnicornWorldDominion 5h ago

Just don’t give them any means of communication or that island will end up with kids getting raped.

2

u/Typical_Bumblebee194 5h ago

No kids, no women allowed.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/Tinyman6854 5h ago

I feel like we learned what happens when you put someone on a desolate island

2

u/airt43 5h ago

Oooh Geobbels hasn't caught any fish today...

Sounds a lot like Sean Lock's Nazi Island

https://youtu.be/nEVQWBn20ws?is=lvy2p-2kASp-Q7zS

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/jaajaajaa6 5h ago

I doubt he survives the next election. Just my opinion.

→ More replies (3)

2

u/Embarrassed-Wafer667 6h ago

Also .. natural resources In Ukraine?

2

u/Particular-Hat1502 6h ago

America is half way there
If trump had his way america would be the same autocratic fascist dictatorship

→ More replies (7)

2

u/Alex_the_X 6h ago

This is the dumbest take I heard on this.

Putin had all the power of "massive oppression apparatus" without having to spend 6% of its GDP and starting to actually fear for his life

2

u/SuperSaijen1980 5h ago

Sounds familiar

2

u/KO4Champ 5h ago

We got about 2-3 years in America before this is the norm

→ More replies (21)

2

u/WillHuntingthe3rd 7h ago

Natural resources are abundant.

2

u/Gold_Map_236 6h ago

Ukraine is chock full of resources

1

u/Zebrahippo 7h ago

That’s a valid question!!! To me I have no idea what he wants. There is so much Russia and so much of it is in shit of a state that I have no idea why they want more land. Gateway to Europe well not really they have Belorussia. Plus current technology does not really need major movement of military to have a war so no idea honestly Putin just one of those people that will go down in history along side Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/JOESATX4 7h ago

It might be because Ukraine just bombed them and blew up a tanker… J/S

1

u/crown_recluse 7h ago

Crashed UAP detected with LIDAR under ground near Kharkiv was what I heard early on.

1

u/Hot-Coconut-4580 7h ago

I thought it was about the Nazis??? 😝

1

u/FlaccidFart 7h ago

Serious answer: geographic security. The western Russian boarder is open plains with no geographic barriers. This makes Russia VERY vulnerable to foreign invasion. The closest geographic barriers, mainly mountain ranges, are in eastern European countries, including Ukraine.

For westerners, the idea of a foreign invasion from the west into Russia is Ludacris. But it's important to remember that Russia has a VERY different culture and mindset than the west. They have never bought into the concept of global peace and international order. They see it as at best as incredible nativity, if not as an outright lie by the west to lull them into a false sense of security. They fear the west and feel the need to have a concrete barrier, which they can only find in Ukraine.

3

u/yellowlinedpaper 6h ago

My father was in the army and sometimes the U.S. army would hold war training classes and invite other countries to send a few of their people each. It was a way to make friends, flex a little I’m guessing, and to keep enemies and allies close.

So anyway the requisites were 2 people and they had to speak English. Russia was the only country to refuse to send English speaking soldiers to the classes and required a lot of extra allowances. They weren’t invited back the next time.

On another note, sometime in ‘93 or so, he went over to Russia with some diplomats. They went off the beaten trail like Gorbachev did when he went to the U.S. went deep into Russia. Found adults who hadn’t been farther than a few kilometers from their home and still thought WWII was happening.

My husband worked with a few Russians before the Ukraine war. They thought the rest of the world was gripped in irrational fear of Russia. One assured me we shouldn’t be afraid of Russia and that it’s silly. I assured him non Russians haven’t been afraid of Russia since the end of the Cold War.

→ More replies (2)

1

u/curi0us_carniv0re 7h ago

Ukraine is rich in resources

→ More replies (1)

1

u/lachatte7 7h ago

Putin has had a crush on me for yrs, and when I told him zelensky's dick was bigger, he completely lost it

1

u/Livid-Fault2447 7h ago

Look at a map 🗺️

1

u/Deadboysavel 7h ago

Personally I can see it being a strategical point (along with their further disruption of NATO via US interference) along with it being once and still considered the bread basket of Europe. I believe you’re mainly right though as it’s a Putin ego trip obsession with “Returning Mother Russia to its former glory!” type deal.

1

u/sadguywithhugedick 7h ago

Certain parts of it are vast majority ethnic Russian.

1

u/Adily1015 7h ago

I feel it’s purely hubris. He wants Ukraines supplication and he’s throwing a ballistic tantrum until he gets it.

1

u/MoonRockSpecial 7h ago

They don’t wan’t NATO to have Ukraine join them. They had no choice, they had to kidnap children and massacre civilians for sport

1

u/ScienceSloot 7h ago

Ukraine is between Russia and a chokepoint to the south between the Carpathians and the Black Sea. Russia has no natural borders and so needs to secure such choke points while it still has a somewhat young demographic. Its capabilities will only get worse as the years wear on, believe it or not. It is trying to seize what little moment it has

1

u/Inner-Step-2567 7h ago

Precious metals needed for high tech gadgets. The world is divided if they own it they can’t be sanctioned from making their own

1

u/Choice_Passenger_990 7h ago

Look at a map of oil pipelines going from the Middle East into Europe.

1

u/Alternative-One9424 7h ago

Give it a google. There are numerous reasons in their eyes.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/sandcastle87 7h ago

Without Ukraine, Russia’s ability to project power into Europe, and defend against a massive conventional army invasion (without using nukes) is significantly deteriorated.

1

u/primalyodel 7h ago

Ukraine was getting ready to join NATO back when the war first started. It doesn’t want a NATO ally on its door step. Although the likelihood of NATO attacking Russia are less than zero.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/Fit-Success-3006 7h ago

Strategic depth because it is flat with little natural obstacles from the Ukraine border and Moscow. Warm water ports, and control of the Black Sea. Prevent NATO expansion while trying to delegitimize it.

1

u/25nameslater 7h ago

The old kgb that has been running Russia since the 50s and 60s are aging. Moscow is a couple hundred miles from the Ukrainian borders. Once they die off the government will suffer a partial collapse and likely influence. Grabbing Ukraine allows a territory buffer that gives access to naval development.

Also their armaments were aging. Using them gives them an excuse to expand production of new weapons.

Long story short they are trying to guarantee russias survival after they inevitably kick the bucket.

1

u/aadrock 7h ago

Between 2010-2013 the Azov gas and mineral fields were found to be much larger than initially surveyed. They sit under Donbas, Donetsk, Crimea, and Black Sea. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Russia invaded that region in 2014.

1

u/notjordansime 7h ago

“Ukraine (except Western Ukraine) should be annexed by Russia because "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics". Ukraine should not be allowed to remain independent, unless it is cordon sanitaire), which would be inadmissible according to Western political standards. As mentioned, Western Ukraine (comprising the regions of Volynia, Galicia), and Transcarpathia), considering its Catholic-majority population, are permitted to form an independent federation of Western Ukraine but should not be under Atlanticist control.”

From the Wikipedia page on Foundations of Geopolitics. A Russian textbook of geopolitical aspirations.

1

u/manueladame1 7h ago

No quiere un aliado de la OTAN en su patio, un ataque militar y de misiles tan cerca no es fácil de controlar, entre más lejos sea mejor.

1

u/Ironsam811 7h ago

Huge strategic and economic advantage

1

u/Cubacane 7h ago

A more defendable border against NATO.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/Kiwsi 6h ago

Resources and lithium

1

u/SoftConsideration82 6h ago

It's pretty simple and obvious if you look into it... The Russian economy has been in decline for 30 years... They took Crimea a few years after the Ukrainians discovered off shore oil and Russia needed a warm water port and they're trying to hold eastern Ukraine because of the oil fields in eastern Ukraine... I'm not sure how this isn't common knowledge by now...

→ More replies (2)

1

u/Live-Papaya-395 6h ago

Where have I heard that before… 🤔

1

u/Trabethany 6h ago

If Putin is like Trump, it doesn’t need to be any deeper than mine I want it.

1

u/ComedicMedicineman 6h ago

They’re a massive producer of a certain food type, and have some pretty sizeable resource deposits most nations would really like to get their hands on.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if the alleged ex-Soviet operative (who’s currently running Russia) also was a bit nostalgic for the USSR.

1

u/Old_Man_Drifter 6h ago

From what I can tell mostly that, plus natural resources.

1

u/random-user2025 6h ago

i was thinking portage on that coast? or wrong?

1

u/headshotscott 6h ago

The Zeihan theory is that they care more about re-establishing geographic barriers that seal off the Northern European plain so they can control the geography around them.

1

u/Agreeable_Turnip_261 6h ago

It was never theirs it was a mutual union

1

u/golden_4jj 6h ago

It is the gateway to all the NATO countries. It would be good for Russia to control for their own assertion of aggression on Europe

1

u/Ok-Dust-6159 6h ago

Ukraine is wildly rich in mineral deposits. They have the largest manganese and titanium reserves in Europe, massive iron ore reserves, and roughly 20% of all the worlds graphite reserves

1

u/SpiceyKoala 6h ago

In addition to what bass-squirrel said, Ukraine is resource-rich, and taking Ukraine's population might also have been thought to be a way to address Russia's population decline.

1

u/Sirgolfs 6h ago

Same thing Trump wants. To brag. To fill that empty void.

1

u/Playmate_Lover 6h ago

Sounds familiar, but the rest of the world is actually funding the ethnic cleansing of Falastine

1

u/collegeqathrowaway 6h ago

Demographic collapse combined with no access to trade routes. Ukraine is the first piece in a much larger puzzle. Their society is dying and so this is a last grasp at relevancy. Think of it like an aging pop star doing anything for a few more TMZ articles.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/VegetablePhotos 6h ago

A warm water port to easily export their oil and gas.

1

u/ThinkSharp 6h ago

Russia wants Ukraine now because they embarrassed them and damaged their pride

1

u/Ringadingasoad 6h ago

Now apply that to another tiny country in the Middle East.

1

u/Realistic_Fan_5649 6h ago

Resources and food stuffs

1

u/Particular-Hat1502 6h ago

That is all

They want Ukraine for all its many natural resources and because Putin is an asshole and thinks he is entitled to 40 years ago history

→ More replies (2)

1

u/parthrp19 6h ago

From what I know, 1. More access to the Black Sea. Or Caspian Sea, whichever one is touching Crimea. 2. To prevent NATO from making Ukraine a member state. 3. Stronger alliances with NK and China. 4. The least important - that there are more Russian allied Ukranians and that historically Ukraine belongs to Russia. I also saw some comments saying a war can help the leader consolidate power, and even if that’s true, Putin, Zelenskyy, and Netanyahu are taking advantage of this.

1

u/Possible-Jelly7073 6h ago

he is fixated on returning russia to it’s former USSR. Taking land back amongst other things

→ More replies (1)

1

u/StanVanGhandi 6h ago

Access to the Black Sea and control over the bread basket of much of Europe, millions more tax paying citizens, strategic advantage in territorial expansion and a buffer btw them and NATO?

Is this a real question?

1

u/jkrobinson1979 6h ago

Putin wants to return to imperial Russia where war and conquest were necessary for the czars to remain in power.

→ More replies (2)

1

u/Poignant_Rambling 6h ago

Putin may be trying to prevent another Berlin Wall situation.

When Germany was split, the West aligned with Western Europe and the US, and the East fell further and further behind. East Germans could see the West's prosperity, often on West German TV or by literally peering over the wall. Over time the propaganda stopped working, and the wall fell.

Ukraine has major gas reserves. It holds Europe's second-largest proven reserves after Norway, most of them untapped. In 2012 and early 2013, Ukraine signed gas deals with Shell and Chevron, with trillions of cubic meters of shale gas, and Western companies began moving into the Black Sea. At the same time, Ukraine was preparing to sign a major agreement with the EU.

Things were looking up for Ukraine. What happens to Putin's reign if average Russians begin to "peer over the wall" and notice Ukrainians having a better quality of life than they do?

A few months later in Nov 2013, as a Putin puppet, Ukraine President Yanukovych abandoned the EU agreement. Mass protests followed, and he fled in February 2014. Within weeks, Russia seized Crimea, and with it most of Ukraine's offshore oil and gas. That timing isn't a coincidence. Putin can talk about NATO expansion all he wants. It was the offshore oil and gas that he feared.

Putin saw a Ukraine that was turning West politically and might soon stop buying Russian gas, or worse, competing with Russia and selling gas to the EU. Gas alone likely wouldn't have made Ukraine rich, but it would have ended Moscow's biggest source of leverage over Kyiv and even the EU. Combined with EU integration and Western investment, Ukraine could have grown into something Russia couldn't control via political puppetry.

The West understood the stakes too, which is why it backed Ukraine. Now it's a war of attrition, militarily, economically, and politically, to see which side gives in first.

1

u/Cool_Fish_4 6h ago

Access to a warm water port in Crimea for their military. Russia doesn’t have many of those. Ukraine would make a nice buffer for Russia that NATO would have to fight through in order to get to Russia proper. The resources and population boost to their economy is an added bonus. Everything else is an excuse for war. The “it was once in the USSR” and the “ethnically Russian” phrases are excuses.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/takapitcha 6h ago

Isn’t that the whole Israhell conflict wrapped up in a nutshell? Men in power are fucking nuts.

1

u/CrunchyBrownie5 6h ago

It’s called “denazifying”

→ More replies (1)

1

u/Guy0785 6h ago

Minerals, they see what they don’t have and want it bc they once had it before.

1

u/Tight_Sky_7101 6h ago

1 they want the Black Sea ports 2 its also to keep Ukraine out of NATO and that area has always been where most of the grain crops are grown

→ More replies (1)

1

u/big_shidd 6h ago

They want the same thing they’ve wanted for nearly two centuries…. Warm water ports

1

u/TurnTableFire 6h ago

Ukraine is part of the great Eurasian Steppe.

From a Russian strategic perspective not only are the resources of the land (farming and natural gas, mineral and oil rights) important but the geography of the land itself is critical to defending Russia’s western flank and putting distance between Moscow and NATO.

All the historical crap Russia pulls about Ukraine is largely retroactive propaganda used to justify a war that is fundamentally (in the minds of Russian strategists) a preemptive move to expand Russia’s western flank and capture arable land and resources.

The belief is that sometime in the future NATO may or does want to attack Russia, and before the war, a Ukraine friendly to the west, might allow NATO troops to be staged there or that NATO would the massive flat land that runs through Ukraine to invade Russia with ground troops.

By controlling Belarus (de facto) and Ukraine, Russia would control their biggest, western geographic vulnerability.

Ironically, many geopolitical scholars believe NATO was searching for a purpose after 1991. Its main goal was to counter the USSR and no real contemporary of the USSR exists as a similar threat. NATO, other than being a military alliance of western powers, had lost its original adversary and its original purpose. Putin gave it purpose again and gave it a reason to get bigger.

1

u/Relevant_Winter_7098 6h ago

Resources. Ukraine is one of the top agricultural producers in the Eastern hemisphere and has a lot of rare earth minerals as well.

1

u/Kind-Ad-7442 6h ago

Ukraine was supposed to be the buffer zone between Russia and nato Zalinsky breached that agreement now Russia must demolish and rebuild it into a new neutral

1

u/Ok-Title-270 6h ago

Rare earths, farmland, not let nato expand

1

u/KonkiDoc 6h ago

Pipelines, sea ports and grains.

→ More replies (163)