thenovelthief Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Translator: DreamscribeWhen Russia increased its military presence and deployed troops to the frontlines.
When the Russian government made threatening remarks that they might advance toward Ukraine at any moment.
Each time, Europe laughed it off.
Saying Patin was bluffing again.
Even when the United States expressed concern about Russia’s movements, the EU didn’t react strongly. It wasn’t the first time Russia caused a stir like this, and people had simply grown used to it.
“But they really invaded this time?”
This time too, they thought it was just a bluff, but Russia actually launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Ha. Why didn’t the U.S. give us a stronger warning?”
“They did consistently warn us about the danger of Russia. Of course, it seems even they didn’t truly believe Russia would actually attack Ukraine.”
The United States had consistently issued warnings about Russia.
The problem was, they had been saying the same things last year, and the year before that.
So, Europe had grown numb to those warnings.
In fact, even the U.S., which had been warning all along, wasn’t fully convinced that Russia would actually do something this crazy.
“This isn’t the time to point fingers. Russia has declared all-out war, and we have to respond to that.”
As a result, the EU now found itself in a state of emergency.
So even those who didn’t want to see each other’s faces were forced to sit down together again.
“What’s the current situation?”
“They are advancing from three directions. They’re breaking through from the north, east, and south, and they’re reinforcing military power on the eastern front in the Donbas region. Meanwhile, the Belarusian government has joined hands with Russia to target the capital, Kyiv.”
“So they plan to wear down the forces on the eastern front, then strike the capital in one swift move through Belarus, which is closer to Kyiv?”
“Yes. It appears Russia’s strategy is to quickly overthrow the Ukrainian government.”
Since the war had already started.
If it dragged on, Russia would also suffer significant losses.
That’s why they were aiming to end it swiftly and decisively.
“Won’t things likely go the way Russia wants? If Russian troops enter, there’s a high chance many Ukrainian citizens will flee instead of fighting. In fact, President Zelenkis’s approval rating has dropped to 20%, and there’s growing public opinion that it might be better to just integrate with Russia.”
“Internal conditions in Ukraine aren’t very good right now either. At the news of war, everyone’s scrambling to escape. Even with forced conscription, morale is rock bottom, who would willingly want to fight?”
It was an attack by none other than Russia.
How could Ukraine possibly block such an overwhelming military force?
At this rate, the conquest would end quickly, just as Russia intended.
“Then... how should we respond?”
“If we assume Russia will occupy Ukraine in the short term... wouldn’t it be better to just observe for now?”
“You’re saying we just let it go, even though they invaded a country without any justification?”
“Well, it’s not like they have zero justification. President Patin has always insisted on the idea of a ‘One Russia’.”
“That can’t be used as a justification. If we let this go, China will waste no time invading Taiwan. And do you really think President Patin’s ambitions will end with Ukraine? The next target could very well be us in Europe.”
Russia is the fuse.
If Ukraine is conquered in vain here, who would be next?
It would be Taiwan, which China had been eyeing all along.
The real problem is that after Russia and China gain the territories they want, they might reveal even greater ambitions.
“Then are you suggesting we dispatch troops? Ukraine hasn’t officially joined NATO yet. Besides, the moment we send troops, it becomes a full-scale war between Russia and Europe. At that point, it could escalate into a nuclear war.”
“.......”
That much was true.
If troops were dispatched here, it would be no different than Europe declaring an all-out war against Russia.
Under international law, providing weapons is not considered an act of war.
However, the moment troops are sent and engage in combat with the opposing force, that signifies direct involvement in the war.
In other words, it could be interpreted as a willingness to go to nuclear war with Russia.
“Then the most we can do is provide weapons.”
“Accepting refugees fleeing from the war is also one way we can help. According to incoming reports, as soon as news of the war spread, many Ukrainian citizens began crossing the Polish border, right?”
One fortunate thing was that relations between Poland and Ukraine were good.
They shared the same historical background of having been under Russian rule in the past.
That cultural bond had formed strong public opinion in Poland, with nearly 80% believing that refugees from Ukraine should be welcomed.
“If the war ends quickly, we can take in the refugees temporarily and then send them back. And rather than actively supporting Ukraine, what if we just pretend to help while quietly watching? It’s going to be occupied soon anyway, so isn’t it a waste to pour our resources into it?”
“That’s right. Rather than wasting resources, it’s better to avoid provoking Russia as much as possible.”
If Ukraine was going to fall into Russia’s hands anyway, there was no need to strain relations unnecessarily.
“For now, we need to maintain the EU’s image and show on the surface that we’re doing something, so we’ll immediately implement economic sanctions in coordination with the U.S. Once Ukraine is occupied, we can lift the sanctions through negotiations.”
“Yes. Russia has a tight grip on natural gas and nickel, and if they cut off that supply, we’ll be in trouble too.”
Currently, the EU relies on Russia for as much as 50% of its natural gas.
If that gas, connected through the pipelines, is shut off, Europe would face an energy crisis.
“But if the war lasts longer than we expect, Russia will keep the pipeline shut off, and then we’ll have to find gas from elsewhere.”
“There’s only one place right now that holds a large amount of natural gas.”
“Where?”
“Kwangwoon. That’s probably the place holding the most natural gas right now.”
Kwangwoon.
Just when it seemed like they had been forgotten, that name resurfaced again.
“Kwangwoon holds that much natural gas?”
“When the GameStop incident caused China’s Evergrande Group to collapse, the real estate and construction markets were shaken significantly. As a result, all of the pipelines and tunnels China was developing were indefinitely halted. That led to all natural gas contracts being canceled, and an enormous amount of supply suddenly flooded the market.”
“And Kwangwoon bought it all?”
“Yes. They bought up the largest natural gas storage facility in Canada and stored it all there. On top of that, whenever natural gas supplies came on the market, they consistently bought and stored it in warehouses across various countries.”
This was just a year ago.
“That’s not all. While purchasing large quantities of natural gas, they also bought up massive amounts of nickel ore from Indonesia.”
“What? From Indonesia? I heard they no longer sell raw ore.”
“Yes. But somehow, they managed to persuade them. That stubborn Indonesian government gave in and handed over as much nickel ore as they wanted. According to rumors, even the recent Suez Canal incident was orchestrated by Kwangwoon to shake up the Indonesian government.”
“Wait a minute. The Suez Canal? That wasn’t an accident, it was Kwangwoon’s doing?”
Still as ruthless as ever.
To think they even managed to manipulate the notoriously stubborn Indonesian government.
“Then... the place currently holding large quantities of natural gas and nickel is Kwangwoon? And they’ve been preparing for this step by step since a year ago?”
“Yes. Back then, we wondered why Kwangwoon was buying up seemingly useless stuff, but maybe they had already predicted the Russia–Ukraine war a year ago. That’s why they started laying out their strategy from the GameStop incident onward.”
If that were really true, they were still as ruthless and terrifyingly meticulous as ever.
Some may think the GameStop incident was just a one-time happening in the financial markets, but in truth, it was merely a smokescreen, Kwangwoon’s true design was for something entirely different.
GameStop, the individual investors who got involved, and even Losthood, which ended up shutting down after being caught in the fallout, were all played by Kwangwoon.
“But those bastards got too greedy. Do they even realize what kind of country Russia is to be gambling like that?”
“If Russia occupies Ukraine quickly, all those stockpiles they’ve built up become useless, don’t they?”
What the EU was most concerned about wasn’t the fate of Ukraine.
It was natural gas and nickel.
If they were to impose economic sanctions against Russia, those two critical resources would become unavailable.
Kwangwoon knew that, which is why they purchased them in advance.
To sell them later at an outrageous price.
But that only becomes a problem if the war turns into a prolonged one.
If Russia steamrolls Ukraine and takes it quickly, then the issue of those two resources vanishes.
“Whatever else happens, we can’t let Kwangwoon line their pockets.”
If Russia were to conquer Ukraine at lightning speed, that would certainly cause its own set of problems, but at least one thing would be clear.
Kwangwoon, having failed to move their natural gas and nickel stockpiles, would take a massive loss.
***
The moment Russia declared war in a surprise attack and invaded Ukraine.
Everyone instinctively knew.
That Ukraine was finished.
In fact, not long after the war began, news spread everywhere that Ukraine’s president and key figures had already fled to the West.
Even I thought the war would end in a flash.
But before long, a video was posted that set social media ablaze.
[We are still here!]
Zelenkis, who was said to have fled Ukraine, personally recorded and uploaded the video to social media.
Appearing with his key advisors, he declared that all of them were still in Ukraine, and that the soldiers and citizens alike would defend the country.
[Glory to Ukraine!]
Ending the video with that brief line, Zelenkis made his resolve to resist absolutely clear.
“This is... not looking ordinary. Everyone assumed it would be a short war, but now this video is spreading across social media, and people who were fleeing are stopping and heading toward Kyiv instead.”
“Even many soldiers who had initially deserted are now voluntarily returning to the front lines. But the key point is the reaction from the EU and the U.S. Everyone was just watching, thinking the war would be over quickly, but now that Zelenkis has united the will to resist, they can no longer turn a blind eye.”
This situation made one realize just how great the influence of a leader can be, and how important the caliber of a leader truly is.
If Zelenkis hadn’t stayed in the capital and broadcast his will to fight, Ukraine would have been conquered just as everyone expected.
“The issue now is economic sanctions. The U.S. has begun full-scale sanctions. Europe as well.”
“Our country’s included too, right?”
“Yes. All allied nations are imposing sanctions, if we’re the only ones who don’t, it would look strange. The most critical issue is that Kangseong and other manufacturing companies have factories in Russia.”
Of course, corporations didn’t want to participate in the sanctions.
Especially companies that had factories in Russia or exported heavily to it, they would be suffering tremendous losses.
“We’re not free from damage either. All shipping transactions related to Russia must be suspended, and Netflix and KW Exchange can no longer provide services in the Russian region.”
American and European companies had also suspended their services in Russia.
Along with that, they were beginning to send donations or provide technical support.
“Google reportedly sent a donation of 15 million dollars. Should our foundation... consider doing something as well?”
It wasn’t about funding the war.
They called it humanitarian aid, donations meant for those who had suffered from the war.
“.......”
I cautiously reached out to the foundation.
“......!”
A powerful sense of intuition struck me.
As expected, even my intuition wasn't so cold-hearted.
It was prompting me to extend a helping hand to those who truly needed it.
“Isn't this exactly the kind of situation our foundation was created to help with?”
“Yes, that's right. Then, how much should we donate?”
I wrote down an amount beside me, waiting until my intuition reacted.
“Let’s go with 500 million dollars.”
“...That’s quite a lot.”
“You know this. Once war inflicts damage, even 500 million dollars can vanish in an instant.”
Natural disasters cause tens of billions in damages.
So what about war?
The damage can easily reach hundreds of billions, if not trillions.
“Then, as you’ve said, we’ll proceed immediately.”
Hopefully, my small donation would bring great help.
And that this war would end quickly.
All I could do was pray.
***
“Is this really all Russia’s military power amounts to?”
Everyone expected Ukraine to be occupied in less than a week.
But what was this?
Even after more than a month, there were no signs of the war ending.
“On the contrary, the Ukrainian military is said to be counterattacking. The Russian army is the one being shaken.”
They say justification is important in war.
Why this war is being fought, why one must risk their life to fight.
Without such justification, morale inevitably drops.
And in that regard, Russia was suffering from severely low morale due to a war without justification.
On the other hand, Ukraine’s morale was sky-high.
Because they had a cause: to defend their homeland.
“Then this is turning into a prolonged war?”
“It already has. Russia’s plan to occupy Kyiv has been thwarted. On top of that, weapons from various countries are steadily flowing into Ukraine.”
Among them, a large portion came from the EU.
“Who would’ve thought this would turn into a prolonged war... against Russia of all countries?”
“Zelenkis did something great. He revived the fighting spirit that was about to collapse.”
But this wasn’t the time to be praising the president of Ukraine.
“The price of natural gas has surged by 40%. Nickel is the same. Russia has shut off all the pipelines and blocked nickel supply, so prices will keep rising. The problem is, there isn’t even enough supply to cover the entire EU.”
It was fortunate that Ukraine, under Zelenkis’s leadership, was resisting... but the problem was that the resource supply was blocked.
Natural gas, nickel, and countless other raw materials were shooting through the roof.
“On top of that, grain prices are skyrocketing. From flour for bread to animal feed, everything is rising like crazy.”
It wasn’t just natural gas and nickel.
The soaring grain prices were a problem as well.
Wheat, in particular, was rising the fastest.
“Don’t Ukraine and Russia account for over 40% of the world’s wheat exports? But with both of their exports completely halted, the supply chain is collapsing.”
Russia had blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, and the wheat stockpiled inside Ukraine couldn’t be shipped out.
That was what triggered the grain price surge.
“The supply system is paralyzed now, it’s hard just to make bread. Even when we rush production, it can’t keep up with demand.”
French President Perron, attending the EU meeting as always, swallowed dryly.
Hadn’t France’s revolution in the past also started because of a wheat price surge?
“That’s why we urgently need to restore the supply chain, for grains, natural gas, and nickel. To put out the immediate fires, we need supply fast.”
“In other words...”
“We need to ask Kwangwoon for help.”
Deep sighs echoed from every direction.
During the COVID crisis, they had to swallow their pride multiple times and accept help from Kwangwoon, and they just stood by and watched as those bastards played with money in the European market and amassed an enormous fortune.
They swore they would never again fatten their pockets.
And now they have to receive help from Kwangwoon again?
“This isn’t the time for pride. I don’t like Kwangwoon either, but the truth is, they’re the only ones who can help us right now.”
Just how did those bastards foresee all of this?
No one had predicted that the Russia–Ukraine war would break out so suddenly, and even less could have imagined that Ukraine would hold out this long against Russia.
“I heard the Kwangwoon Foundation donated 500 million dollars to Ukraine...”
“What? 500 million dollars!?”
It was a staggering amount.
Even the biggest corporations had capped their donations at 15 million dollars.
But they gave 500 million on their own?
“Wait a minute. Then could it be...”
It had always been a lingering question.
What exactly gave the Ukrainian government the confidence to stand up to Russia like that?
And today, that question seemed to have been answered.
“Kwangwoon was backing Ukraine all along...!”