Russia steals minerals from occupied parts of Ukraine — British intelligence

The Russian Federation exports minerals from Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories through the Kerch Bridge.

Rubryka writes about this, referring to the intelligence report of the British Ministry of Defense as of July 4.

British analysts note that the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly drawn attention to this robbery.

"Iron ore, coal, titanium, uranium, manganese, gold, and lithium are all present in Ukraine; resources which are almost certainly coveted by Russia but also potential targets as Russia seeks to grind down Ukraine's economy, denying access and destroying infrastructure," the review emphasizes.

According to British intelligence, one of the reasons why Russia is trying to improve the transport infrastructure in the occupied parts of Ukraine is that it wants to extract as many Ukrainian minerals as possible.

In particular, the department mentioned the occupiers' statements about building road and railway infrastructure in the Zaporizhzhia region to connect it with Russia. Intelligence officers say this serves not only a military purpose but also the export of grain and minerals.

The review cites the example of iron ore mining and its removal in the Dniprorudne area of the Zaporizhzhia region.

"Trains travel through Crimea, over the Kerch bridge into Russia. This activity is not without risk; as trains need to move through areas where Ukrainian partisans are known to operate and have already claimed responsibility for attacks," the report emphasized.

We will remind you that the Russians are building new fortifications along the Mariupol-Donetsk highway in the section where the road from the village of Hranitne connects with the highway.

As we reported earlier, the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol noted that the enemy is trying to build a direct railway connection with Mariupol, Volnovakha, and Donetsk.

It is worth adding that in a previous review, British intelligence claimed that Moscow is sending thousands of migrants from Central Asia to the war with Ukraine in order not to recruit people who are more politically active into the army.