Russia to begin developing the world’s largest manganese deposit in the occupied part of Ukraine: details
17 April 13:11
The Russian company “Reali Engineering Invest” will develop the Velyko-Tokmak manganese deposit in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, reports "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
According to media reports, the company received a license for mineral extraction in February 2026 and began geological exploration in April. According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, 25.1% of the company is owned by RT-Business Development LLC, a subsidiary of Rostec.
The Veliko-Tokmakskoye deposit ranks among the world’s top five manganese deposits in terms of reserves, totaling 1.7 billion tons. It is significantly larger than Russia’s largest deposits: the Usinskoye deposit in the Kemerovo Region (127.7 million tons) and the Porozhinskoye deposit in the Krasnoyarsk Territory (29.46 million tons). At the same time, industrial manganese mining in Russia takes place at only one deposit in Bashkiria. The country imports over 90% of this metal, which is used to improve the properties of steel, from abroad. The Federal Agency for Spatial Planning of the Russian Federation noted that the Veliko-Tokmaktskoye deposit is capable of supplying up to 1.7 million tons of manganese per year, compared to Russia’s demand of 1.3 million tons. According to the institute, construction of a mining and processing plant has already begun near the deposit, which will employ 3,000 people.
The manganese content in the ore of the Veliko-Tokmaktskoye deposit is “very high”—over 25%—and its reserves are sufficient for 100 years of mining, says a media source in the mining industry. According to him, implementing the project will require clearing and dewatering old mine workings, which will increase the total investment in it to 100 billion rubles. Thanks to Rostec’s participation, the project may receive preferential financing, notes Maxim Shaposhnikov, an advisor to the manager of the Industrial Code fund. However, he says that the project’s prospects remain uncertain due to the crisis in the Russian and global metallurgy sectors, as well as the ongoing shelling in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Previously, Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the occupation administration of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, had announced plans to begin developing the Velyko-Tokmakskoye deposit. He noted that ferromanganese is essential for Rostec, which is currently forced to purchase it from South Africa, Brazil, and Gabon.
