Comments by "Yo2" (@yo2trader539) on "Ukraine: Zelensky rules out peace deal as Russia confirms Kramatorsk as missile strike target" video.

  1. Russian military admitted it because they shot a retrofitted S-300 Surface-to-Air Missile into a Pizzeria. They need the world to believe that Russia still has the technical capability to hit their targets. These aren't cheap Iranian-made drones, so I doubt a Pizzeria would be a priority target. Usually, expensive missiles would be used for Command, Control, Communication, Infrastructure...or some military/gov facility that is needed for Ukraine to sustain its war fighting capabilities. Degraded Russian missile capability implies the economic sanctions--particularly in the area of semiconductors, GPS, etc--is working more than Russia likes the world to know. (Russian military hardware actually uses a lot of civilian foreign components.)
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  2. In terms of national security, Russia needs Ukraine and Belarus to be a buffer-zone between Russia and NATO. Neither side want direct borders. But Ukraine used to swing between pro-Russian regimes and pro-European regimes since its independence. For obvious reasons, Russia (and FSB) was not thrilled when pro-EU regimes came into power. In terms of economy, Ukraine has struggled and had to borrow from or be bailed out by Russia to import Russian natural gas. This is not so much about competency but rather how the borders were artificially drawn, and how the Soviet Union was regionally structured. To date, most of natural gas comes from the Ural Federal District and Caspian Sea region. It used to be said that Eastern Ukraine preferred a Russian sphere (as they had deeper historical ties), while Western Ukraine wanted to join EU. For political, military, and economic reasons, the current regime has clear pro-EU and pro-NATO preferences. Putin and Russian military (and FSB) couldn't let Ukraine leave the Russian sphere of influence without a fight. Ukraine joining NATO is a nightmare scenario for Russia and would be perceived as an existential threat to Russian survival. Hence, the war.
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