“It has lost the Donbas, which is a rich region in terms of natural resources and industrial capacity.”
Oh my, a true statement amidst all the propaganda, and certainly one of the reasons Putin has attacked Ukraine so brutally in his neurotic, paranoid search for safety through riches.
It is also true that Russia has wealth in oil and important minerals. But the big question is how long he will keep them as China looks with interest at Siberia, and the various ethnic groups Putin is killing off as Russian soldiers in Ukraine contemplate revolt and freedom from this dictatorship? It will be interesting to see how well the Arctic oil industry does this winter since the US companies with their superior equipment and arctic knowhow are now long gone.
If Russia’s new, better trained soldiers are true Russians, they may soon revolt against boss Putin, unless current conditions at the front are seriously improved. If these new, better trained soldiers are from the ethnic minorities that are NOT “true Russians”, then how soon before they turn this better military knowledge against oppressor Putin?