The goal is to force more processing at home and capture a larger share of profits generated from its natural resources. The DRC supplies 75% of the world’s cobalt, essential for lithium-ion batteries found in electric vehicles and in defense technologies. The DRC’s previous cobalt export quotas squeezed China, which cannot source the mineral domestically, but produces 78% of the refined product. Experts say the impact may be limited, since the DRC already refines much of its cobalt and copper at home. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes primarily targeted warehouses used by civilian businesses, including a brewing company and a train depot.