The resources of Donetsk - one of the reasons for triggering Russian aggression in Ukraine

The mineral resources of Donetsk seem to be one of the main reasons for the war started by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, if we analyze the article published yesterday by Izvestia, which shows that the authorities in the area have already submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation programs to start the exploitation not only of coal, but also of gold, natural gas and other rare earths existing in the eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.

According to the cited source, in Donbass there are deposits containing tens of tons of gold, gas in the Sea of Azov, deposits of titanium, lithium, zirconium, and not only coal, and for this the Russian authorities in the area taken by force from Ukraine will realize an additional geological survey of the subsoil starting from 2025. According to experts cited by Izvestia, in Donbass there is almost "the entire periodic table", which would justify the implementation of large projects related to gold, gas and rare earth metals, the respective programs being submitted already at the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation.

The quoted source shows that Igor Pavlov, the head of the geological exploration department in Donetsk, claims that only in the Bobrikovskye area at a maximum mining depth of 200 meters, gold reserves of approximately 7 tons are estimated. Besides that area, the most promising is Mikhailovskoye, in the Shakhtar region, where, according to the scientist, there is fine gold similar to that discovered in Sukhoi Log, Irkustk region, where about 28% of the gold reserves of the Russian Federation are located .

The Russian specialist also adds that the advantages of the Donbass region in the field of mining compared to Siberia or the Far East are its convenient geographical location, mild climate, very good logistics, existing workforce and developed infrastructure, which does not require an additional injection of funds to start up. exploitations.

Another project on the agenda of the pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk is studying the bottom of the Sea of Azov, more precisely 25-30 kilometers away from the former Ukrainian coast. Expert Vladimir Labyntsev stated for the quoted source that the entire area is considered extremely attractive from a mining point of view, especially since there are already deposits discovered on the continental plateau, near Taganrog and Dzhankoy. In total, according to the specialist, 22 promising hydrocarbon perimeters were identified in the Sea of Azov, located at a drilling depth of approximately 3 kilometers. The evaluation activity of these perimeters would take place in the next two years, until the end of 2026.

The cited source also shows that there are also two important lithium deposits in Donetsk: a larger one in the Shevchenkovskoe area and a smaller one near Mariupol. According to Alexander Anoprienko, rector of the Donetsk National Technical University, quoted by Izvestia, the respective lithium deposits are an asset of the respective area, given the fact that lithium is a key element in the production of batteries for mobile devices, laptops and electric vehicles, and that the size of the demand exceeds the production, which leads to a continuous increase in the selling price of this resource.

Also in the Donbass region, more precisely in its south, there are titanium and zirconium ores, which are part of the high-tech strategic minerals, titanium being used in the construction of submarines, and zirconium in the space industry.

As for coal, Alexander Anoprienko stated for the cited source that there are over 100 billion tons of reserves in Donbass, of which 7 billion tons represent the anthracite reserve. The expert also claims that an important natural element is also methane, stored in rock layers, its reserves being comparable to those of coal.

Izvestia also shows that according to the Kremlin authorities, private companies from the Russian Federation will handle the exploitation of the coal mines. One of these is Impex-Don, from Rostov-on-Don, which has taken over the concession for the exploitation of four mines, and will invest 16 billion rubles over five years to modernize equipment and create safe operating conditions. According to the quoted source, in the next two weeks the name of another investor will be made public, who will receive the concession of the Volynskoe mine, after which three other state mining companies in the Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russians will be given to private investors from the Russian Federation.