Please look at the map again.
Please see my post here
Ukraine war wasn’t solely or even primarily about oil and gas (my position has changed in few years since posted that) However, energy and natural resources were a significant strategic factor that’s often downplayed.
Before 2014 and especially after, Ukraine was actively pursuing energy independence. Offshore Black Sea gas, domestic gas development, and closer integration with European energy markets. Crimea in particular matters here, because controlling Crimea gives control over large parts of the Black Sea economic zone and future offshore gas development.
While there wasn’t a finished pipeline ready to immediately replace Russian gas, the direction of travel was clear: a Ukraine aligned with the EU, developing its own resources and transit routes, would weaken Russia’s long-term energy leverage over Europe.
The war stopped that trajectory. Investment collapsed, international oil and gas companies pulled out, and Russia consolidated control over key territories with future resource value.
It’s also telling that later peace and reconstruction proposals including US-Ukraine resource agreements explicitly focus on oil, gas, and minerals. That doesn’t mean resources caused the war, but it does show they were always part of the strategic calculus.
So energy wasn’t the trigger control over territory that determines future energy and economic independence was clearly a major secondary objective.