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    They are all very quiet on the money front tho... Archived Message

    Posted by Ken Waldron on July 13, 2023, 1:58 pm, in reply to "Trouble at t'Nato mill"

    How is Ukraine funding the war?

    According to the Kiel Institute the US have spent $75 billion in "assistance" to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military.

    https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine-here-are-six-charts

    EU's figure was €60 billion earlier this year... the UK's about 5 billion.

    So wheres the money coming from? Lets not be naive and think that all these billions are being "gifted" and its all being given free from the kindness of capitalist hearts. Yet there's no real Ukrainian economy left to fund the debt so there's really nothing to pay it back with... apart from "Chernozem".


    "Nearly a quarter of the world's most fertile soil, known as Chernozem, is located in Ukraine. Chernozem is black soil rich in organic matter called 'humus,' which is made up of decomposed plants. More than 65 percent of arable land in Ukraine is composed of Chernozem deposits, making it ideal for farming."

    And well, whadya know...



    "Ukraine’s crippling debt is being leveraged by financial institutions to drive post-war reconstruction towards further privatization and liberalization in several sectors, including agriculture."

    “Despite being at the center of news cycle and international policy, little attention has gone to the core of the conflict — who controls the agricultural land in the country known as the breadbasket of Europe. Answer to this question is paramount to understanding the major stakes in the war,” said Frédéric Mousseau, Oakland Institute’s Policy Director and co-author of the report.

    The total amount of land controlled by oligarchs, corrupt individuals, and large agribusinesses is over nine million hectares — exceeding 28 percent of Ukraine’s arable land. The largest landholders are a mix of Ukrainian oligarchs and foreign interests — mostly European and North American as well as the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia. Prominent US pension funds, foundations, and university endowments are invested through NCH Capital, a US-based private equity fund.

    https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/war-and-theft-takeover-ukraines-agricultural-land


    So...they already own more than a quarter of the country and the longer the war goes on the more debt Ukraine will be in with nothing but land to pay it off.

    One wonders also if the Ukrainians are dealing in "futures" of land in the Donbass at discount prices because it has "sitting tenants" who require eviction.

    -"Blood and Soil" indeed. Get those Ukraine Sunflower gifs out kids...wave them for the Ukrainian war! the corporate future is bright!

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