In 2025, Russia provided expanded reserves for key types of solid minerals, including gold, coal, and strategic raw materials. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Oleg Kazanov, head of Rosnedra, summed up the results of 2025, outlined the development vectors of the coal industry and the prospects for subsurface use in new regions.
According to Rosnedra, in 2025, the increase in reserves for the main precious metals exceeded production volumes.
• Gold: The increase was 542 tons (with production in 2024 — 477.6 tons).
• Silver: 4.4 thousand tons were delivered to the balance (production — 2.4 thousand tons).
Oleg Kazanov noted the trend towards additional exploration of already exploited fields. Rising metal prices make it profitable to mine poor ores that were not previously considered as industrial facilities.
A significant breakthrough has been achieved in the sector of scarce minerals:
• Lithium: Reserves at the Kolmozersky deposit (Kola Peninsula) have doubled, with an increase of 860,000 tons.
• Titanium: For the first time, the Zhidoyskoye field (Irkutsk region) with reserves of 17.3 million tons has been delivered to the state balance (this is 30 times the annual production).
• Rare metals: An increase in molybdenum (47.4 thousand tons), niobium (8 thousand tons) and REM (30 thousand tons, mainly due to additional exploration of the Lovozersky deposit) was recorded.
The situation in the coal industry is characterized by a change in the geographical structure of production. Against the background of low world prices and logistical constraints, production in Kuzbass decreased from 200 million tons (2020-2021) to 166 million tons.
The center of coal mining is shifting to the Far East, where there is access to the seaport infrastructure.:
• Yakutia: Production increased from 18 million to 42 million tons (by the end of 2024).
• Sakhalin: Growth from 13 million to 16.5 million tons, despite difficult mining and geological conditions.
The total increase in coal reserves in 2025 amounted to 768 million tons, which is almost twice the volume of production. At the same time, licensing of new facilities is limited: of the 10 sites on display, licenses have been issued for only two (the Ugolny section in Transbaikalia and the Bachatsky section in Kuzbass).
Rosnedra considers the Taimyr coal basin as a strategic reserve for the next decade. The resource potential of the region is estimated at 218 billion tons, which is about 40% of the size of Kuzbass. The main project is the Syradasayskoye field (reserves — 130 million tons, potential — up to 5 billion tons). The main value of Taimyr is the sought—after brands of coking coals.
The exploration program for the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions is focused on restoring full technological chains of metallurgy. The main interest is represented by iron ore objects, flux materials and raw materials for ferroalloys. It is also planned to explore non-metallic minerals (rock salt, light-melting clays) for the needs of local industry. Full-scale work will begin after the situation stabilizes.
The decline in coal production in traditional regions encourages diversification. In Kuzbass, subsoil users are beginning to develop projects for the extraction of manganese and lithium, in Komi — titanium. The coal industry specialists who are being released are in demand on a shift basis at large projects in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, where there is a shortage of qualified personnel.