Ukraine
The Upgrade Party stands with Ukraine — and thinks the reasons behind this war deserve more scrutiny than they get.
The Upgrade Party stands with Ukraine. A full explanation is still in progress as part of our SaveUs Campaign — for now, here's where we start.
We always wonder whether the right questions are being asked and answered in the corporate media.
What's Actually Under Ukraine
One major incentive behind Russia's invasion is straightforward: Ukraine's mineral resources. Estimates commonly cited by Forbes Ukraine and the Ukrainian Geologic Survey put the total value around $15 trillion, though outside analysts caution the real figure is genuinely uncertain — proven, economically recoverable reserves are hard to pin down, and estimates in serious reporting have ranged from roughly $12 trillion to $15 trillion.
Estimates vary by source; figures here reflect Ukrainian Geologic Survey and Forbes Ukraine reporting, with outside analysts noting genuine uncertainty in the total.
Russia has already seized the areas holding the highest-value deposits. Ukraine is also a major wheat exporter — and a direct competitor to Russia in that market, which is a second, quieter incentive sitting alongside the mineral wealth.
Beyond resources, there's a documented pattern of pressure on the Ukrainian population in occupied territory: forced passportization, deportation of civilians (including well over 100,000 children, by multiple tallies), and demographic replacement through resettlement of non-Ukrainian populations into occupied areas.
The U.S. State Department, the International Criminal Court's framework on unlawful deportation, and independent human rights researchers have all characterized these practices as war crimes; some organizations go further and describe the pattern as consistent with genocide under the UN Convention's definition. These are serious, contested legal determinations — but the underlying reports of forced deportation and forced citizenship are well documented by multiple independent sources.
Ukrainian Upgrade Drones
Ukraine is probably the world headquarters for drone development right now — a capability forged by necessity, under wartime pressure few other countries have faced. We'd like to see that same expertise turned toward peacetime work: Ukrainian-built Upgrade Drones helping build the cities Ukraine will need once the rebuilding starts.