By all accounts, you might think my referring to Ukraine as "the most important nation in Europe" is madness. It is a nation in dire geopolitical straights, due to its ongoing defensive war against Russia. It has one of the weakest economies in Europe, faces severe population decline, and since its 1991 independence, has not substancially marked global affairs in any meaningful way prior to 2022. Yet, Ukraine is a nation of potential, potential many are blinded to. Modern American and Western Europe mentality has been to ignore Ukraine in favor of concentrating on its larger anversarial brother, Russia. This is a mistake.
Before discussing Ukraine, I shall first make the reader aware as to why Russia is a no-go for anything. It may be geographically large, oil-rich, and has a large population compared to the European average, but it is a flawed nation that acts out in erratic fury. Russia is structured as an empire, such as the Mongolian empire. Vassal states (Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Komi, Buryatia, Tuva, Circassia, Karelia, Tuva, etc) effectively pay tribute to the central authority of Moscow, in exchange for... nothing. If they attempt to fight off this authority, Moscow reacts with severe military incursion. All tributary states of Russia are drained of their wealth to enrich the central Russian territories of Moscow and St. Petersburg, at the expense of all others. In many countries, it would seem absurd and a generalization to suggest class division on the basis of cities. But alas! Russia divides its cities into cities of classes. The Upper Class is concentrated in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Strip away the land, impoverished minorities and lower class outer rim federal subjects of Russia, and how big and mighty is this country in reality?"
The core nexus of the USSR was undoubtably the three Kyivan Rus states: Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Of these states, Ukraine was technologically extremely significant, an integral and crucial part of the Soviet technological sphere. Within Ukraine, at least a dozen chip fabrication facilities existed: to name a few, Kvadr, Kvantor, Kvant, Krystal, Kvazar. Along with Belarus' Integral and Russia's Angstrem, these comprised the majority of the Soviet IC production capability. Designated microelectronic research facilities were prevelant in Ukraine, and many a microcontroller and microprocessor were designed and produced entirely within the Ukraine SSR. This country was no slouch within the USSR. The country also was heavily involved in nuclear research, and produced many of the USSR's electronics.