Nearly $10 million for a field: Russia is selling off mineral resources in the occupied territories
27 March 00:11
Russia has begun selling natural resources from Ukraine’s occupied territories through state auctions. One of the largest such sales involved the Bobrykivka gold deposit in
Luhansk Oblast.
This was reported by Reuters, citing auction documents it reviewed, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Who bought the gold deposit
The right to develop the Bobrykivske deposit was granted to the company Alchevskpromgroup.
According to the documents, it is controlled by the Russian company Polyanka.
The license cost $9.7 million.
How much gold does the deposit contain
According to auction data, the reserves of the Bobrikivskyi deposit amount to approximately:
- 1.64 tons of gold.
At current spot prices, this amount of precious metal could be worth nearly $260 million.
Who was developing the deposit before the war
Prior to the start of Russian aggression, the deposit was being developed by the Australian company Korab Resources.
After the war began and Russian-backed forces seized part of Donbas in 2014, the company:
- lost access to the asset;
- written off the project from its balance sheet.
The company’s CEO, Andriy Karpinsky, stated that satellite imagery suggests work may already be underway at the field.
Signs of production beginning
According to company representatives, satellite images show:
- traces of heavy equipment;
- an excavator in the quarry;
- freight containers near rock piles.
This may indicate the start of preparations for gold mining.
Russia’s broader strategy
According to Reuters, Moscow is putting dozens of assets in Ukraine’s occupied territories up for online auction.
Among them:
- mines;
- quarries;
- agricultural land;
- other natural resources.
Other resources under Russian control
Earlier, Russian troops captured another strategic resource site.
In June 2025, the Russian army occupied the village of Shevchenko in the Donetsk region.
A lithium ore deposit, considered one of the largest in Eastern Europe, is located near the village.
