by Vadim Zolotaryev, http://matveychev-oleg.livejournal.com/1722656.html
via http://worldcrisis.ru/crisis/1729991
translated by Eugenia (thanks so much!!)
A matter-of-fact view backed by numbers
07-12-2014: By profession, I am a geologist, not a fortune teller or a psychic. I have no way of knowing what Putin is currently thinking of or what Poroshenko and Obama talked about yesterday. I am not on intimate terms with oligarchs of different countries involved in the events in Ukraine and have only a vague idea about their financial machinations. But I know the mineral resources that are the foundation of the Ukraine economy and, based mostly on that knowledge, I am offering my understanding of the current situation.
In the Soviet Union, Ukraine was above all the premier metallurgical region.
The Krivorozshskiy ore field is the second largest in the world (the first is the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly). The Donetsk coalfield is located close to the Krivorozshskiy ore field. The distance between them is only 300-400 km. There is no other place in the world where ore and coking coal are found in such quantities so close together. The Nikopol deposit of manganese ore needed for Siemens-Martin process of steel production is also nearby. In addition, the Kremenchug, Belozersk, and Kerchensky ore deposits were also exploited.
On this base, Ukraine developed metal-intensive manufacturing: equipment for factories and mining industry, rail transport, sea ships, agricultural equipment, etc.
The byproducts of the iron and coke making were used in the chemical industries (acids, plastics, mineral fertilizers).
All these industries developed in the proximity to the sources of raw materials, and that process created the industrial South-East of Ukraine.
The project Novorossiya includes precisely these territories (Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozye, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkov, Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson regions).
I want to emphasize: Novorossiya is a unified industrial complex and not at all the place of concentration of the Russian-speaking population.
Nevertheless, it is directly connected with Russia. Since the Ukrainian industry was created in the USSR, the products of that industry were manufactured according to the standards suitable specifically for the former Soviet countries, i.e. Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus.
In contrast, the Ukrainian industry is unsuitable for Europe or America. Everyone knows about the differences in the width of rail tracks, different European electrical outlets, but there are thousands of such incompatibilities. Therefore, the West can only make use of the Ukrainian raw materials.
But this makes all Ukrainian factories redundant, and, consequently, workers in these factories become redundant as well, followed by people that feed, cloth, and provide medical services to the workers. There is a reason why the West speaks about the need to reduce the population of Ukraine to 15 million people. And it does not matter which language these people speak.
The whole mess started not because of the language problem but because of the dispute where should Ukraine go: to the EU or ECU.
The authors of the project Novorossiya reasonably supposed that the South-East of Ukraine could be equally successful as an independent republic maintaining close ties with Russia or as a federal subject within the Russian Federation. However, as a part of Ukraine the South-East could be successful only if Ukraine keeps as close a relationship with Russia as existed in the Soviet times.
As a separate entity, Novorossiya could exist without Odessa or Nikolaev, thereby losing the shipbuilding industry, or without Kharkov, with its Kharkov Tractor Plant, but it cannot survive without its raw material base: Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozye regions with their iron and manganese ore and Donetsk and Lugansk with their coalfields.
On the other hand, Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic by themselves have no means of existence.
Soviet geologists and economists had recognized the problems of the Donetsk coalfield. In order to understand these problems, let us discuss what is Donbass – the most renowned coalfield of the Soviet Union.
Firsts, this is a relatively small coalfield. Below, I list the resources of the main coalfields of the USSR for comparison:
Lensk – 2647 billion ton;
Tunguska – 1745 billion ton;
Kansk-Achinsk – 1220 billion ton;
Kuznetsk – 805 billion ton;
Taimyr – 583 billion ton;
Pechersk – 344 billion ton;
Donetsk – 240 billion ton.
By its structure, the Donetsk coal basin is, simply speaking, a large basket of ancient igneous rock approximately 70 thousand square km in size and 8 km deep. That basket is filled with sedimentary rock intermixed with layers of coal. But these layers are not horizontal but folded, disrupted, distorted, and displaced.
Total of 300 coal seams have been found. About 50 seams have the thickness from 50 cm to 2 m and are good for mining. Although now in Donbass ever the seams as narrow as 20 cm are being exploited.
For comparison: in Kuznetsk coalfield the thickness of mines coal beds reaches 20 m, and the seams are horizontal and located very close to the surface.
In Donbass, however, all productive coal beds lying close to the surface have already been exhausted. Now it is necessary to reach deep (1000-1200 m) to extract coal, and this is considering that sudden explosive ejections of coal, gas, and rock are possible starting from the depth of 500-700 m.
In order to ensure normal conditions for people working at great depths under high pressure and temperature, new technologies are constantly needed to remove gases from seams, provide ventilation and air conditioning in the mines, to develop and use special equipment allowing for the coal extraction without people, etc. All this requires enormous capital investments.
In the USSR, the same investment yielded 3 times more coal in Kuzbass than in Donbass.
Significantly, the rate of adoption of new technologies in Donbass started to decline back in the 1980s when the marked forces made inroads into our economy. This had an immediate impact on the annual coal production:
1940 – 94 million tons;
1970 – 218 million tons;
1980 – 223 million tons;
1985 – 200 million tons;
1991 – 165 million tons;
2000 – 75 million tons.
As can be seen, with the beginning of perestroika, the annual coal production in Donbass declines rapidly, because the exploitation of the Donbass coalfields was no longer possible without constant technological innovations. However, capitalists would not invest more capital into unprofitable enterprises. That is why Donbass mines are closing one by one, and mining accident after accident claim human lives.
At the same time, the quality of the Donbass coal is very high. Anthracite of such quality is ideal for metallurgy. Because of that, Soviet economists insisted that this high quality expensive coal should be used in a most effective manner, i.e. exclusively in Ukrainian metallurgy. Lower quality coal produced without additional expense alongside high grade anthracite could be used for burning.
The energy sector of Ukraine, as a part of the energy complex of the USSR, was meant to use Russian oil and gas as well as transfer of electricity from the power stations working on the low grade Ekibastuz and Kansk-Achinsk coal (these are the open-cast coal regions, with the production cost 10 times lower than in Donbass) and development of the atomic energy.
However, just a few mines in Donbass could supply the amount of coal required by the Ukrainian metallurgy sector, with just 1/100 of all Donbass miners needed to operate them.
Precisely the problem of Donbass miners was what kept the Donbass mines in the Soviet Union fully operational and the entire region subsidized by the state. Clearly, the elimination of townships, relocation and retraining of such an enormous number of people would raise an avalanche of protests. Since the people’s interests still dominated over the interest of the economy, a gradual re-specialization of the Donbass mining region was planned, with building of new, mostly equipment manufacturing, plants.
Naturally, after Ukraine’s independence, there could be no building of new plants; all over Ukraine, existing enterprises were going bankrupt and disappearing. The Donetsk coal was considered only as burning coal for energy production. However, producing burning coal at such cost is not just unprofitable, it is criminal, given that in the capitalist conditions the production expenses are often covered by human lives.
Yet capitalism went even further in its criminality. Instead of unprofitable coalfield, Donbass is now considered as a promising region for shale gas production.
Unfortunately, I do not know for sure what amount of shale gas is predicted to be in Donbass. Theoretically, in such a coalfield all rock should contain gas to a certain extent. Drilling for gas is much cheaper that mining for coal (both in the cost of the equipment and of the work force). Besides, drilling could be done at considerably greater depths. Thus, for investors there are all the reasons to expect the conversion of the unprofitable region into a more or less profitable one.
But that is for the investors. For the citizens of Ukraine, and particularly those of Donbass, such re-purposing of the region is turning into a tragedy. The main trouble is not ecological. The tragedy is that, with the shale gas production conducted on a large scale in the former coal-producing region, most of the Donbass population will become redundant, lose their jobs and means of existence. (Donbass is the most densely populated region of Ukraine, where most of the residents are connected to the coal mining industry). Moreover, a larger part of the South-East of Ukraine will become redundant as well, since only ore mining companies will survive, whereas all metallurgy plants will close followed by machinery and equipment plants, pipe rolling plants, shipyards – all this industry will cease to exist.
I cannot say that I admire Putin or that Russian oligarchs are dearer to me in any way than oligarchs of other countries. But the fact that Russia has the intention of preserving the Ukraine’s metallurgic complex makes me an unwavering supporter of Putin’s policy. This policy is, of course, completely devoid of altruism or disinterested love to the Russian-speaking population of the South-East. Equally, the Poroshenko government could not care less about the Ukrainian people.
The pro-American government of the today’s Ukraine is deliberately doing everything to destroy the Ukrainian metallurgic complex, to isolate the Ukrainian ore deposits from the coalfields, to destroy Donbass.
The military actions destroy first the infrastructure of the Donbass towns. Schools, hospitals, communications are being targeted; mines are being destroyed. Indiscriminate artillery fire terrorizes the population causing mass departure; the residents feel increasing hatred toward the Ukrainian army and Ukraine as a whole. Throughout Ukraine, antipathy is being inflamed towards “colorads” that want to present a piece of Ukraine to Putin.
However, Russia is not interested in Novorossiya, as represented by Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia has plenty of its own coalfields and gas deposits that, in contrast to Donbass, are profitable. The cost of coal production in Donbass is considerably higher than in any Russian coalfield. Furthermore, Russia would like to preserve the metallurgic complex of Ukraine, i.e. to keep the link between Donbass and the Ukrainian iron ore deposits.
That is why Russia is in no hurry to recognize the independence of Novorossiya. The separation of Donbass from Ukraine is an American project. The project that will bring suffering first of all to the people of Donetsk and Lugansk regions as well as to all the people of Ukraine.
Currently, self-proclaimed republics are running election campaigns, and there is a real danger that the power will be assumed by people who, while fighting for the independence of the republics, are trying to attain the independence precisely to achieve the objectives of the American project.
Donbass does not need independence. Donbass needs to unite with other industrial regions of Ukraine, primarily Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozye. Donbass needs the entire Ukrainian industry to be preserved.
The survival of the Ukrainian industry is a necessity for the Ukrainian nation as a whole. But the majority of Ukrainian people do not understand their true interests, do not understand that Ukraine, with its resources and population, cannon be an independent state, that to ensure employment for the people Ukraine requires labor-intensive industries. The products of that industry should be exported, and it can only be exported to the former Soviet countries, and the separation from these countries, first of all from Russia, would mean ruination for the Ukrainian nation.
However, nobody explains any of this to the Ukrainian people. The pro-American mass media are filled with russophobic propaganda, while Russian mass media focus on the defense of the Russian-speaking population saying that Ukraine is no more, that it has never really existed and should not exist, thereby, from its own side, inciting hatred between Russian and Ukrainian people and promoting the separation of Donbass.
Excellent commentary!! Very educational!!
I have a question for Saker, not that I expect an answer, since he rarely answers to his blog’s comments:
The impression that one gets from the numerous indiscretions about small details of his personal life is that Saker is some lonely individual with some “European” background (from what country we don’t know), former intelligence analyst for the West, now in disgrace with the Empire.
No offense, but my question is: how does one explain the consistent and wide promotion of his blog by such as David Johnson, of the Center for Defense Information, or Asia Times, etc.? Why are such major US intelligence fronts so keen on promoting his blog which promotes the Novorossiya rebels and a rag-tag assortment of anti-West “innellectuals”?
And why do we never, ever hear – from him or others – about the support that Saker gets from such major portals and aggregators and disseminators of the MSM line?
Furthermore, all this proliferation of Saker’s blog in country after country looks like spontaneous generation, but how can a man, working full time at his day job, married and with two children, be doing all this work of a whole institution, reading news and analysis, sizing up hours-long videos and listening to long speeches, all around the world, to give us, the hoi-polloi, his sacramental revelations on a daily basis (of course from an Orthodox slant of purity).
Also, why is there never any hint about certain behind the scene heavy-duty negotiations and deals between the major powers, but only this relentless rallying of the troops, supposedly under the threat of total annihilation by the bad guys?
Hm?!
Fantastic. Makes everything a lot clearer. All about resources or the lack of. Russia is saying and doing what’s best for the people of the area. Pity Russia’s sentiments and the Ukraine govt’s sentiments aren’t mutual.
Very good information for rational people.
Now, we see Putin’s actions clearly. He understands the need for a unified, federated Ukraine.
Making it happen is something else.
I don’t think it can be done with oligarchs and the junta still extant.
I suspect there will be a short, violent episode to change the facts above the ground.
We now know the facts under the ground (geologically speaking).
Ahh! That makes things *much* clearer. Thank you!
It’s always about resources. And I suppose that is an unavoidable reality. Whether the interests of the resident population are also taken into account, that’s the difference between the Elites and their Western puppet government monstrosities, and Putin’s Russia,
Btw there is a critical spelling mistake: “with its resources and population, cannon be an independent state” cannon should be cannot.
TerraHertz
@Dacian:Furthermore, all this proliferation of Saker’s blog in country after country looks like spontaneous generation, but how can a man, working full time at his day job, married and with two children, be doing all this work of a whole institution, reading news and analysis, sizing up hours-long videos and listening to long speeches, all around the world, to give us, the hoi-polloi, his sacramental revelations on a daily basis (of course from an Orthodox slant of purity).
Indeed, I often wonder myself…
But seriously,
You are right. I am a (highly) paid agent of the CIA. But since I am also a double agent, I also get FSB money. My anti-Semitism gets me Iranian money, but since really deep down I am pro-Jewish, I also get Israeli shekels (which I change into British pounds, since The City is where my heart lies) along with a hefty stipend from Soros. As for my work, I don’t do it alone. I have 3 secretaries (all three gorgeous “hot chicks”, of course) and a 12 men editorial team assisted by highly paid translators and unpaid interns whom I then send to various super-secret intelligence academies. My Orthodoxy is just a politically-correct cover since in reality I am an Archdeacon in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (http://www.venganza.org/). My real name is Ducon Mudilo, and I was born in Africa (and not in Europe, of course).
Man, I wish you had not blow my cover, but you did.. :-(
I bow to your perspicacity and superb instincts.
Ducon
Hmm. This is a pretty sobering assessment of the situation. I agree with Ugo Z’s comment that we seem to be looking at the need for a unified, federated Ukraine. Surely the only way Novorossia could belong to such a thing would be to own it totally?
We always knew that the only safety for Donbass ultimately is to control Kiev, one way or another. From this industrial appreciation, it looks even more like Donbass needs to invest in regime change.
I wonder how replaceable all these industries are? The author is a geologist, and apparently tied to these industries as they have existed. I don’t mean to insult him, but it would be useful to know if there’s ANY other way forward in terms of employment and economic activity for Novorossia and Ukraine – I’m quite prepared to be assured that the answer is NO.
This article seems to be making a very solid case for unity. I look forward to other commenters’ perspectives on this.
i follow your blog agnostically(?) but this man’s explanation was the first i’ve read that explained why the depopulation (genocide?) is desired. after all, it seemed a bit much just because they were simply russian. so the question is why? i doubt he pulled that 15m pop max out of a hat. since he basically writes that poroshenko’s aim will destroy ukraine why isn’t everyone, including you and putin, talking this up repeatedly. this seems a cogent argument (if true) that could even pass muster for western liberals.
Oooh Saker, I always knew you had hidden depths!!! now all revealed, never mind, you will soon contrive some new ones knowing you:)
Ha – ha
Make me happy Ducon
The Russian Central Bank raised interest rates from 10.5% to 17.0% this morning. The big bank currency speculators just got a midnight margin call….in the currency war!
The author says what I’ve said for months,Novorossia independent of Ukraine is viable.I’ve also said Donbass itself was too small,but not Novorossia.This talk we hear in the West about no economic future is BS.With most of the industry,the seaports,farmland,and huge mineral resources a Novorossian state is easily viable.Either as totally independent,a part of the RF,or a republic in a Ukrainian Union it is viable.It also is vastly united in speaking the Russian language,and as polls show 80% of the population reject the junta as the legal government.Their rule is enforced by terror by the military and right sector.
Uncle Bob
OMFG, Ducon. Your retort has me ROTF LMFAO. Maybe I’ll have to reply agnosticly(?) myself cuz I probably can’t remember my secret identity passcode when I need it most :-) Thanks for the laugh today. The news has been most heavy as of late.
Vic DeHaven Aridzone, USSA
NSA & Homeland Security approved comment (gofukurselvesguys)
Anonymous Grieved said..
“I wonder how replaceable all these industries are?”
Remember he said that the Soviets planned on building many factories in the area to solve that problem but with the break-up Ukraine didn’t care enough to do it.I would think that would be a plan to follow-up on.Especially if Novorossia either,became independent,joined the RF,or stayed united with Ukraine,but in a Union Republic scenario.
Uncle Bob
This is OT, but I’m also wondering about the news item that bob kay @23:17 mentioned…
The Russian central bank just raised the interest rate from 10.5% to 17%, supposedly in an attempt to halt the free fall of the ruble. Huh?
I thought that one of the pressures on the ruble is that Russian businesses cannot get loans at an attractive rate inside Russia, and thus they convert their rubles to euros or dollars or whatnot, and to use as collateral for loans from foreign banks.
If the RCB raises the interest rate, won’t this simply increase the whole problem of capital flight?
Puzzled.
“There is a reason why the West speaks about the need to reduce the population of Ukraine to 15 million people.” First, what’s the source of this statement? Second, when people say “The West Speaks” it’s a meaningless generalization. Who exactly in the west ever spoke this, if anybody? Or is the whole “West” presumed to have one voice?
Dear The Ducon ;),
Hopefully this will get the hooray patriots to understand why the Russian Govt. has been banging on on have a whole federated Ukraine from the start……
Rgds,
Veritas
Well, Saker, that’s your usual cheap use of Ignoratio Elenchi. On the rare occasion when you reply, you never answer your questioners in good faith. Changing the subject and resorting to mockery is adolescent behavior. It doesn’t induce faith.
I had a legitimate question, why don’t you just answer it? The only conclusion is: you’d rather avoid it. It’s called dodging the question.
“Moreover, a larger part of the South-East of Ukraine will become redundant as well, since only ore mining companies will survive, whereas all metallurgy plants will close followed by machinery and equipment plants, pipe rolling plants, shipyards – all this industry will cease to exist.”
Sounds like Detroit rust belt writ large.
Humour:
– Do you come here often?
– Almost every day. And you?
– I come here to find what I don’t like and I am always successful.
– Strange, I like a lot of what I see here.
– You must be a member of the rag-tag band of anti-West “innellectuals”.
– And who or what are you?
– I am one of the hoi-polloi.
– That figures.
– Listen, don’t you know Saker comes from Africa? He works for the CIA and the FSB. Hm?!
– Are you kidding me?
– No, I have it on good authority his name is Ducon Mudilo. Hm?!
– Ducon what?
– Mudilo. Hm?!
– Never heard of him. Is he in a rush or something? Btw, who are you working for? Hm?!
Chevron oil bails on $10 billion project in Porky’s criminal Ukraine. Whoops. The junta’s US pal Chevron oil has bailed on the Ukraine. I woinder if Chevron did not want bad press about the Ukraine shooting down an airliner and murdering the passengers.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=51a_1418680966
@Dacian: I had a legitimate question, why don’t you just answer it?
Bullshit. You had not question, only allegations. As for trusting me, that is something I never asked anybody, including you. I am just a nobody writing an anonymous blog which some enjoy reading others don’t. If you want to imagine some dark forces behind me, please – be my guest. What do I care? Finally, you overlook something crucial here – I owe you nothing, not even a reply. I reply when I feel inspired to, not when somebody demands it. Talk about adolescent behavior – look at yours first. I chose to make fun of you because I consider you a rude imbecile and your suspicions a sign of ignorance about the real world. Now kindly buzz off and don’t come back.
The Saker
Good answer to smart Acian Saker. Now that we all know who you really are, lets get back to the business of understanding the current events.
The new events in Ukraine reflect a state of desperation. My sense is that the USA is in panic mode and will do anything to provoke Russia. It seems that the financial system is close to implode, and the USA urgently needs a diversion. I also believe that Russia is not fooled and will act appropriately.
Miracles happen.
Wow, what an amazing article. This is definitely one of the best ones I’ve seen here. It’s so refreshing to get “non-political” information like this.
It also explains Kolomoiskiy’s actions, I think…
@Blogger Andreas Walsh, the “decrease by 15 million” quote… I’m not sure it was the “West”, I think it was some politicians in Western Ukraine or Kiev who said it, in an unguarded moment. I wish I could remember the link… I hope somebody remembers what it was and answers you, in any event.
Dacien,
Beyond your suspicions, which are mostly undocumented allegations, what is personally upsetting about them is a back-handed insinuation that other participants/readers of this blog lack even rudimentary critical thinking skills and are so stupid that we simply take for granted without consideration everything we are told here. Simply, provide just a few facts or sources for your round-about indictment of Saker and your implication that he is an agent of the empire here to lead astray the ignorant rabble. C’mon man!
Many thanks to author Vadim Zolotaryev, translator Eugenia, and Saker for such a profound explanation of the Donbass catastrophe, and to realistically dispel some of the most terrific lies. I feel as some others say, it’s among or could be the best article I’ve seen on this topic.
If raising of the interest rate proves inadequate to stop capital flight out of Russia, Putin can always provide a gold (or black gold – caviar) backing for the ruble and watch it skyrocket! If nothing seems to work, there is always the “Putin Option” (similar to Israel’s “Samson Option”). Dropping a few nukes on ME oil fields should “do it”. Russian oil, anyone?
@Dacien
You insinuate that the Saker is some sort of a double agent – this seems patently ridiculous to me for two reasons:
– all his explanations/analyses/articles have been completely coherent and he has never wavered from his basic premises which you present in such a sneering manner.
– he has disclosed a number of details of his personal history and life which again fit together with all of his efforts – IMO there is strictly no indication that he has a hidden agenda of some sort.
So for me the explanation of your insinuations (which you call “questions”) is either
– you are trying out a new trolling approach (which I feel is rather ridiculous)
– you are some sort of adolescent who feels that he is more intelligent than all the other readers of this blog and that you must educate us in your wisdom.
So: grow up or go home.
We all know that the grandmaster of geopolitical chess is making moves to corner the gold bullion market and leave the West holding the bag (emptied of gold). Once he exercises the “Putin Option” and makes ME oil “unapproachable” for a few thousand years, EVERY Western country will beat a path to his door for some Russian oil (and gas) – at any price!
Now what kind of NWO is in Putin’s mind???
Wow Saker, do get this kind of trash everyday ? I mean of course Dacian’s commnent.
well Dacian, why should Saker know every place on the globe that reads his blog ?
Personally I can vouch for Saker as a person of high integrity and honesty and a truly religious person who lives his Christianity.
Are you Christian Dacian ?
Anyway, I am and can recognize one when I come to know their thoughts and feelings.
So why would these places be “not allowed” on Saker’s site, but you obviously come here everyday, because Saker doesn’t speak about his personal life every day…if fact very seldom..so you must be here every day to get that info…unless someone else has “informed” you.
Go back to the crevice you crawled out of and stay there with your other associates that are also living and communicating there, in that dark place.
And by the way, the number on the captcha is 2001
What will life in the ME be like after the “Putin Option”? The few remaining sheiks will trade in their Mercedes’, Rolls’, Bentleys’ and Ferraris’ for the few remaining, time-tested and reliable camels and head for the few remaining, unpolluted oases. Dates never tasted so good! Yahweh will “take care of” the rebellious house of Israeli Zionists with His long-overdue “Yahweh Option” (Ezekiel 22:20).
‘
If the RCB raises the interest rate, won’t this simply increase the whole problem of capital flight?’
Writer of this quote…yes, of course it will exacerbate the situation…that’s what the IMF always does…it works for them.
The Central Bank is working for them.
Dacian you are the worse most horrible commenter ever have I read anywheres…don’t come back, we don’t like you here.
Saker is more than a double agent. He’s not even a falcon. That is true. No wings, nothing.
And the five languages stuff is baloney.
No one in Florida knows five languages.
He may not even administer this blog.
That guy on the Podcasts is obviously Benjamin Netanyahu. We all know that from Podcast 1 on.
Fraudulent or clever covert op?
And the Vineyard? What’s that all about?
So, Saker’s a Pastafarian? Might have known . . . always thought the Orthodox commentary was a bit of “protesting too much”!
Well, may you be Touched By His Noodly Appendage. ;)
Also, Dacian, if the Asia Times is a “major US intelligence front”, that would put Pepe Escobar, Henry Liu, Peter Lee, Martin Hutchinson, Chan Akya, et al on the CIA payroll too. The claim that these writers are disseminating the MSM line is a real head-scratcher, and leaves one wondering whether the person making this allegation has actually read any of them.
I wonder why Russia and Iran don’t push ISIS out of Iraq and Syria and into Saudi Arabia? Would the price of oil improve?
The troll “Dacien” (Schlomo & Schlomo) seems to me the typical circumcised member of the paid “trolling for shekels” Hasbara call centres in Tel Aviv.
Ignore the obvious and move on…
I don’t care about Saker’s religion, I just like reading his blog. If it’s a story I like – that’s reason enough to read it. If it’s something I don’t like – it’s just a proof that he isn’t actually biased and a different reason to read it.
<– Circumsized, by the way.
I don`t get it.
What about the project independent and prosperous NOVOROSSIA.
Now you have changed your mind and you write that NOVOROSSIA MUST STAY WITHIN UKRAINE???
I think Daciens questions are worth considering. Here is my take on it. Saker is considered a valuable asset for many parties, in particular those who are oposed to the anglo(zionist)empire. So it isnt beyond the possible that, unknown to Saker, the growth of the Saker community may have gotten some help from influential people.
Also even among powerful circles in the Us there might be people who are really worried about the current situation and who wants some sanity to counter the insane orwellian lying machinery used by the ptb. Quality rocks.
Donbass needs to liberate/be liberated TOGETHER with the rest of Novorossia, all eight oblasts. This shall of course include Odessa, Nikolaev, Charkov, Zaporosje, Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk, all of them. Then it can either be an independent state that will be big enough to stand on its own (with close ties to Russia of course) or join Russia after a referendum. But no way to be back in a fascist Ukraine under the hunta!
Nic
Thank you for this analysis.
Geology does throw a flood of light on this sad affair, does it not.
We’re all agreed, then, that an independent Luhansk/Donetsk is probably a non-starter, but an independence Novorossia, while no doubt viable, would still be a source of endless tensions that benefit no one – at least as things stand today. Autonomy is therefore the right solution.
However, this would be a great defeat for the US and the mad lot it has installed in Kyiv, so I don’t see how it’ll all end.
Let’s hope Putin has a magic wand…
Hi Saker!
I hope this is NOT you own view.
Now that even Lavrov (Putin) seems to understand that a “united pro-russian ukraine” will not be, it is even more important to liberate ALL of Novorossia and as much as possible of Malorossia too. We cannot leave 20 million people under fascist/nazi occupation and subjected to that propaganda. Russia cannot have a united and hostile Banderastan as neighbour. Better to liberate Novorossia and all lands east of the Dnepr and let the rest go to hell!
Nic
Thanks for this, Saker. It is an element of your blog that uniquely features insightful comments and information not found anywhere else.
If Novorussiya remains part of Ukraine, then it will have to share the debt of that whole country. If it goes it alone, it can start anew, with say the new currency backed by gold – if it can do that. Also, if true about the coal etc, then this may not be a good idea, unless of course Russia buys it and Novorussiya then diversifies its economy to something else.
I’m not a geologist, but I remember reading from a USGS survey of another interest the US has in Donbas. If it was correct, there is a fair amount of Dolomite in the area as well. The story came out shortly after the “Bundy Ranch Standoff” in NV when word got out that Dolomite had been found all around his property. Since I don’t claim to be a geologist, I had to rely on military personel for the explanation – turns out Dolomite is used in missiles, especially Stinger missiles. If there are such deposits in Donbas, it’s a safe bet the US is keen to get their hands on those as well. Anybody know if this is true? I have been unable to find the link to the story since it was so long ago and I have no idea where to look now.