Why Russia Needs Ukraine

[calmissile]

A very interesting article describing Russia's dependence on Ukraine's factories and natural resources to maintain and grow it's military.

Makes one think maybe Putin has more motives to capture East Ukraine and Crimea than to 'protect' native Russian speakers.     

http://ukraineatwar.blogspot.nl/2015/02/russia-needs-ukraine-to-fulfill-its.html

[BillyB]

Factories and resources from Ukraine helps but I think Russia will be fine without Ukraine. Russia can get stuff elsewhere but it's nice to have stuff so close to home. Just learned today America needed the USSR for resources to build the SR 71 Blackbird spy plane that was used to spy on Russia and China. Made of titanium, the world's biggest supplier was USSR at the time. The CIA set up fake businesses all over the world in order to buy Soviet titanium.

[lordtiberius]

The way it works is Read the Article, then comment.  The article pretty much destroys your theory of Russian invincibility.  It contains no magic thinking, just facts and logic.

[fathertime]

The way it works is Read the Article, then comment.  The article pretty much destroys your theory of Russian invincibility.  It contains no magic thinking, just facts and logic.

He NEVER said that Russia was invincible, you have foolishly and repeatedly misquoted him.


Fathertime!   

[lordtiberius]

You didn't read the article either, did you?

[fathertime]

You didn't read the article either, did you?

Article aside, you are constantly not labeling Billyb's' position correctly.   No army on earth is 'invincible'..that is obvious.

Fathertime!

[JayH]

A very interesting article describing Russia's dependence on Ukraine's factories and natural resources to maintain and grow it's military.

Makes one think maybe Putin has more motives to capture East Ukraine and Crimea than to 'protect' native Russian speakers.     

http://ukraineatwar.blogspot.nl/2015/02/russia-needs-ukraine-to-fulfill-its.html

Very interesting read as  Doug said.
It certainly covers much of he real issues and potential problems created for Russia-- and gives substance to some of the reasons Russia will have considered.

[Boethius]

I disagree.
 
Russia always had the ability to manufacture components themselves.   It was cheaper to leave the manufacturing in Ukraine.   A lot of that is because that manufacturing was located in Ukraine during Soviet times, and that was done to create jobs throughout the USSR.  But, in the past 3 or 4 years, Russia was slowly disentangling itself from Ukraine's manufacturing, so it was a matter of time, nothing more. 
 
I don't know of any raw materials in Ukraine that also do not exist in Russia.  For example, Russia purchased Ukrainian coal.  But Russia has fields of coal that they don't even put into production.  So, I think that article is more "wishful thinking" than reality.

[calmissile]

Recommend reading the article before commenting.

[Boethius]

I did read it.

[Faux Pas]

I suspect Putin's motives have nothing to do with any resources of or in Ukraine and little to do with what gets debated ad nausea here. Russia already had all access to Ukraine and Crimea. There was no need to invade or destabilize Ukraine to keep that continuing. It's pretty obvious (to me anyway) the reason is Geopolitics. It would appear that Ukraine is just the kindling for other aspirations