Seems like a million years ago deep diving into all that, that time period where diving was for fun out on the blogs, now it's become a deadlier dive to stay one step ahead of diabolical not fun political games. The majority of the time you are right it's about the money, particularly with Ukraine. Don't know if it's blessing or a curse they were granted the gift of just about any natural resource on the face of the earth. In most cases it's not just some but an over abundance, especially in the Donboss region. With the move away from petroleum and natural gas resources Ukraine is the Rolex country of minerals. They have so many different types of minerals that mineral charts should be made out of the shape of Ukraine. What's that old saying....one should be so blessed. With the move toward "green energy" technologies that rely heavily on the use of metals you know this is more than just a cripe over the flow of oil and natural gas into Europe.

Like I mention also sometimes it's not about the money. It could be political influence on world council boards, you vote my proposal or I'll higher your gas price or shut your lights off. In another instant it not who all gets to profit but what could be done with those profits, Syria comes to mind in that regard. That may also hedge into why China has a sudden interest with buddying up to Russia. With China it's a race to the top in technological advances, with Syria it was sharing the wealth with forces who could use it to the detriment of society.