Just to keep things in perspective, or attempt to anyhow, here’s a couple lazy links to the natural gas resource comparisons of Ukraine and Russia:

Natural gas in Ukraine

Natural gas in Russia

Considering Russia’s proven reserves are massive in comparison to whats in or around Ukraine, I don’t think Russia needed to go to war with its neighbor for petro reserves as it already controls the global gas markets.

I’m still leaning on NATO expansion to Russia’s borders, installing weapons systems into those expanded countries, NATO’s commitment to Ukraine joining NATO, the following 2014 maidan coup, the shelling for 8 years of the breakaway republics that resulted from that coup, NATO training of Ukranian forces during those eight years and goading by the US to invade those two breakaway regions.

I think Russia’s national security interests trumped any petro market interest that they already control by virtue of having the largest gas reserves in the world. Looks like a weak hand to me.

Last edited by chunkstyle; 04/11/22 01:17 PM.