Ukraine's intelligence reveals Russia's plans for occupied territories
Photo: Russian soldier (Getty Images)
Russia is preparing to conduct geological exploration before launching extraction and export operations at 18 deposits located in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The President spoke about the findings of a report presented by the Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Oleh Ivashchenko. The report concerns documents outlining Russia’s plans for the use of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
"In the southern Ukrainian lands currently under occupation, Russia intends to carry out essentially the same processes of plunder and deindustrialization that it implemented in the occupied parts of the Donbas," Zelenskyy wrote.
The President said Russia is planning geological exploration, extraction, and export of valuable raw materials from at least 18 deposits. The resources include titanium, lithium, tantalum, niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, and graphite.
Zelenskyy added that Russia is also planning further operations to seize and export this year’s grain harvest. He stressed that Ukraine is preparing measures to counter those efforts.
Earlier, the occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region reportedly began preparing residents for the use of mine water as an alternative to regular drinking water supplies.
Experts warn that mine water in Donbas contains excessive mineralization, heavy metals, sulfates, petroleum products, radionuclides, and industrial chemicals. Even Russian environmental specialists acknowledge that such water can only be used for technical purposes.
Meanwhile, occupation authorities in the Luhansk region have begun selling off state assets. The officials there openly admitted to a budget shortfall and announced the launch of large-scale privatization efforts.
According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, even a potential withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas would not stop Russian aggression. Analysts believe the Kremlin has far broader territorial ambitions toward Ukraine as a whole.
