Why Donbass is so important to Russia and Ukraine

From coal, gas, and oil to lithium for electric vehicles, nuclear power, and steel, the treasures of the subsoil are highly sought after by international powers, who are eager to exploit them.

[A coal mine in Donbass, Ukraine/TODAY.IT]

It was during the summer of 1943 that the Donbass was freed from the occupation of Adolf Hitler's German soldiers and placed under the protection of the Soviet Union once again. Russia's Vladimir Putin has dusted off the memory and rhetoric of liberation from Nazi Germany in order to try to retake this territory, which is now under the control of Kiev: experts believe that the attack launched in these hours, which represents phase 2 of the invasion in Ukraine, could lead Moscow to obtain the scalp necessary for justifying a war that has claimed far more lives and had far more economic repercussions than the Kremlin strategists had anticipated on the eve. But that's not all: Donbass is a strategically important region for a variety of reasons.

From coal to uranium

From a strictly geographical standpoint, the Donbass is not a location, but rather a toponym that was established in the nineteenth century when it was found that the Donets basin, a tributary of the Don, had a vast amount of coal. Despite the fact that its mining has faced obstacles since the 2014 conflict, the reserves remain highly sought for, particularly since Russia signed into deals with China and Russia in 2021 to supply the two coal behemoths (in total 140 millions of tons per year, which is how much Moscow has shipped to the EU so far). However, a study completed twenty years ago suggested that the reserves totaled 57.5 million tons, which was scattered over an area of 23 thousand square meters. It is not known how much these reserves are worth.

However, the Donbass is not just rich in coal; throughout time, exploring has revealed a variety of additional subsurface resources, ranging from natural gas to uranium, which have elevated this region to the status of one of Europe's most significant mining areas. In the subsurface of the basin, for example, the United States Geological Survey believes that there are gas fields with a total capacity of 1600 billion cubic meters of gas and 1.6 billion barrels of oil.

The Forbes magazine reports that "iron ores are also found in significant amounts." Ukraine is also ranked sixth in the world in terms of crude iron deposits, according to the US Geological Survey, with 18 billion tons of reserves, a large portion of which is situated in the Donbass and has driven one of the most significant steel mills in the country ( in 2013 the area produced 40 percent of Ukrainian steel). Not to mention the uranium reserves, which are used to fuel nuclear reactors, or the titanium alloy deposits, which are among the most often utilized metals in military applications, or the manganese reserves. 

White gold

When the United States went to war with Russia in 2014, it caused a significant hit to the exploitation of all of these resources. Moscow's objectives, on the other hand, have not changed. Not just those in the Kremlin, but also those in other parts of the world. In recent years, interest in Donbass has expanded around the world, from China to the European Union, and not only because of the energy and mineral resources stated above. Lithium is a new "white gold" that is becoming more important in the drive to ecological transformation and the electrification of transportation. And the Donbass seems to be particularly abundant in this.

According to the New York Times, some people have recently "Scientists in Ukraine speculated that the country's eastern area has almost 500,000 tons of lithium oxide, which is a source of lithium and is required for the creation of batteries that power electric cars. If this first evaluation is correct, Ukraine's lithium deposits would rank among the world's greatest, according to the World Lithium Association." Not unexpectedly, the European Commission stated in July 2021 that it had reached an agreement with Kiev on the development and exploitation of the latter's essential minerals resources, which include lithium. The Ukrainian government initiated an auction at the end of 2021 to sell the rights to exploit these deposits, as well as those of cobalt, copper, and nickel. The sale will run through the end of 2022.

Two firms instantly expressed an interest in the appeal: European Lithium, which is located in Australia despite its name, and Chengzin Lithium, which is based in China. These two enterprises are focused on two prospective lithium resources, one of which is situated in Donesk Oblast, which has been home to one of the self-proclaimed independent republics since 2014. The other is located in the Republic of Kazakhstan (the other is Lugansk). From fossil fuels to the new "petrol" of electric vehicles, passing via nuclear power and steel, in short, the Donbass is strategically important, both for Europe and for Russia and China alike.

It was here that the Soviet Union's vengeance against the Nazi occupation was officially launched. And it was from here that the new battle on Ukraine began. Putin may now exploit the Donbass victory to proclaim the operation against Kiev a success, a victory that has been a month in the making. If possible, it would be best if it could be completed by May 9, the day on which the Russians commemorate Victory Day, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. President Volodymyr Zelensky does not seem to be willing to pursue historical lectures and appeals at this time.