The reality is, Russia (actually Putin) wants to restore it's former territory.
The West was tested by way of Georgia, Moldova and later, Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Each time the West failed to react, Putin grew bolder.
It's also no secret that Russia has eyes on other eastern European nations and is active in trying to undermine the political fabric of those nations in order to create puppet states much like Belarus.
As far as Ukraine's rare earth minerals are converned, yes they have an abundance, but their agricultural capacity is immense as well as their export of iron ore and processed steel.
Historically, Russia (including Soviet Russia) has always been "paranoid" of their neighbors.
An excellent example would be their border clash with Finland in the 1930's, where Moscow felt that Finland was "too close" to Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and sought to expand that frontier.
So then, if the "Big Money" is after Ukraine's minerals, then why did Russia invade Georgia? Why did Russia invade Moldova?
What was the secret New world Order cabal after in those nations?
Why does Russia have puppets in Belarus, Hungary and Slovakia?
Why does Russia have plans to retake Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia?
Do those nations listed above have Rare Earth minerals too?
Or could it be that the deep state conspiracy bullshit is just another excuse blanket covering up Putin's aspirations to restore the Russian Empire?
A statement that affirms we live in the United States of Amnesia.
Your Russia-phobic sanctimony sounds like sour grapes from a hedge-fund manager on Wall Street or the City of London. I suppose you want me to shed tears for a bunch of goose-stepping Nazi knuckleheads of Ukraine, led by that Kapo Zelensky. They cannot hide by simply re-flagging and rolling down their sleeves to cover up the swastika tattoos.
Apparently you forgot that the United States invaded Mexico and annexed more than half of its territory, which is now seven states between California and Texas. Manifest destiny was a b*tch. Although the most important difference is that the Russians don't need to spend $250 billion arming the Mexicans, because the drug cartels are already heavily armed and control the market in the U.S. border states. No doubt that Pfizer is jealous.
If you think that Russia should handle a border dispute differently, then you suffer from delusions. And what's more, the large Russian population of eastern Ukraine has a right to declare independence from the local government, just as the American colonies declared independence from England.
By the way, can I get a commitment from you that it's all good for Mexico City to officially reclaim former territory in Communist California? Let's face it, that would be no great loss. I was hoping that Hollywood and Silicon Valley would be swallowed by an earthquake by now.
Grant in Mexico: "one of the most unjust (wars) ever waged" - U.S. Army official site
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org