The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment called the Russian Federation's leading position in the field of rare earth metals mining

Russia has one of the world's largest raw material bases of rare earth metals (REM), and it also ranks seventh in terms of its reserves. This was stated on June 4 by Alexander Kozlov, Head of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, at the session "Rare, Strategic: Sovereignty and international Cooperation in the field of REM and Critical Minerals" at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2026).

"Our domestic raw material base provides any level of consumption, both from Russian consumers and for export supplies to the world market," he said.

2.2 thousand tons of REM are produced annually in the country, the volume of domestic consumption in Russia is at the level of 1.1 thousand tons, while global consumption reaches 226 thousand tons.

Kozlov clarified that the country's proven reserves amount to 28.4 million tons, and now there are 18 REM deposits on the state balance sheet. In addition, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has issued licenses to 12 more sites. At the moment, six more, according to the head of the department, are not distributed and are awaiting their investors, after which Rosnedra will provide documentation for the auction.

The head of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment drew attention to the multi-stage nature and duration of the cycle of commissioning new deposits. Thus, the average duration of the full cycle of work from the start of exploration to the establishment of reserves on the balance sheet is estimated at about seven years.

"Therefore, it is critically important for geologists to understand today exactly which metals and in what volume our economy will need in the future," Kozlov summed up.

Raw material potential: 251 deposits of solid minerals have been discovered in Russia

How has this been achieved and what can it affect?

On the same day, Denis Manturov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, said that the REM plays a critical role in the development of modern industrial sectors. According to him, it is unrealistic to think about creating high-tech products without them these days, since without adding a REM-based ligature, not a single special alloy can be made. The components in question give the future product ductility, strength, wear resistance, frost resistance or heat resistance.

In April, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation indicated an increase in investments in the exploration of the Russian Arctic. In 2025, contributions in this area amounted to 2.19 billion rubles. Experts predicted that this figure could grow 1.9 times this year and reach 4.15 billion rubles.