Take the source (Voice of Ukraine) with a grain of salt, but it would explain why Russia is getting so aggressive lately. Without oil, their economy will collapse. They only have a few years left before their military will be too expensive to maintain.
Oleg Kazanov, head of Russia's Federal Agency for Subsoil Use (Rosnedra), stated that of the country's estimated 81.6 billion tons of oil resources, only 13.2 billion tons -- about 16% -- are considered profitable. He noted that 96% of known oil deposits are already in use, with nearly all reserves allocated to subsoil users.
"No matter how we stimulate production at existing fields, they will eventually run out," Kazanov added.
Efforts to discover new major oil deposits in Russia have been unsuccessful. Last year, 39 fields were found, but their combined reserves total just 21 million tons.
Oil and gas expert Mikhail Krutikhin described this as "laughable," noting that at Russia's current production rate, this volume would be extracted in two weeks. He further cautioned that these reserves are barely proven.