Russia Eyes Major Manganese Project in Occupied Zaporizhzhia Region

A Russian company has begun steps to develop one of the world’s largest manganese deposits in occupied southern Ukraine, according to a report by Kommersant.

The outlet says Reale Engineering Invest secured a license in February 2026 to extract minerals from the Bolshoye Tokmak deposit in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region and launched geological exploration in April.

Corporate records show that 25.1% of the company is owned by RT-Business Development LLC, a structure linked to the Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec.

The Bolshoye Tokmak site is among the top five manganese deposits globally, with estimated reserves of 1.7 billion tons. That far exceeds Russia’s largest known deposits, including the Usinskoye field in Kemerovo region and the Porozhinskoye field in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Despite its size, Russia currently produces manganese at scale at only one site in Bashkortostan and relies heavily on imports, with more than 90% of the metal sourced abroad. Manganese is a key component in steel production.

Russia’s state planning institute has previously said the Zaporizhzhia deposit could yield up to 1.7 million tons annually, exceeding domestic demand estimated at 1.3 million tons. Construction of a mining and processing plant near the site is reportedly already underway and could employ up to 3,000 workers.

A source in the mining sector told Kommersant that the ore at Bolshoye Tokmak has a “very high” manganese content of more than 25%, with reserves sufficient for up to a century of extraction. However, the project is expected to require significant investment – up to 100 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) – due to the need to restore and drain old mining infrastructure.

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Earlier, Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed head of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, said the project is strategically important, noting that Rostec currently imports ferromanganese from countries including South Africa, Brazil, and Gabon.