>>518768013 (OP)
To make sure his friends make money. When russia is described as a gas station, you should take it more literally. It's really just one big corporation and just like with any corporation the goal is to maximize the profit of the shareholders. The shareholders of russia do not want the west to get access to the rare earth in ukraine because that would dilute the supply thus reduce the need for russian supply thus less profit. There are trillions of dollars under ground in ukraine that would generate that amount squared in terms of end products over decades. Spending half of russias GDP on this war in the bigger picture is nothing. The sad part is european ineptitude to commit. As for russians not seeing through the veil, that's on them. That's some limp dick shit in every POV