Lithium mining planned in occupied Donetsk region

As reported by Realna Gazeta, Russian companies may begin mining lithium and titanium at deposits located in the occupied part of Donetsk region.

This follows from a statement by the leader of the so-called “DPR,” Denis Pushilin.

According to him, lithium and titanium deposits could become a highly promising source of budget revenue. However, in reality, their development has not yet begun, as preliminary work is still underway. In particular, the area still needs to be demined.

“But I can tell you that these are very promising directions for filling both the regional and federal budgets,” Pushilin stated.

He also noted that the main lithium and titanium reserves in Donbas are now located in territory recently occupied by Russian forces.

Lithium is a strategic metal used in the production of lithium-ion batteries for electronics. Unofficial estimates put its reserves at 500,000 tonnes, while official data remains classified. However, Ukraine has not yet begun lithium extraction.

The largest deposits are located in Kirovohrad region (Polokhivske deposit and Dobra site), Zaporizhzhia region (Kruta Balka deposit), and Donetsk region (Shevchenkivske deposit). The village of Shevchenko, near whose eastern outskirts the deposit is located, is almost entirely occupied by Russian forces, with ongoing battles taking place there. Kruta Balka is also under occupation.