February 17, 2026

Russia plans to abandon lithium imports by 2028. According to Oleg Kazanov, head of Rosnedra, Russia expects to fully meet its lithium needs through domestic resources by 2028.

His statement, made during a speech in the State Duma, also indicates that by 2030 the country will be able to significantly reduce its dependence on supplies of several other rare and rare‑earth metals, including tantalum and niobium. This was reported by Kommersant.

As the head of the agency noted, dependence will be virtually eliminated for certain items, but for some types of raw materials, full import substitution may extend beyond 2030.

In parallel, Rosnedra is strengthening control in the industry. The agency has announced measures against illegal mining and a review of so‑called “dormant” licenses — subsoil plots where permits have been obtained but no actual work is being carried out. This involves bringing order to production accounting and ensuring compliance with mandatory state expertise procedures.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the total reserves of 29 types of rare metals in Russia reach 658 million tons. Meanwhile, by February 2025, the total explored resources of rare‑earth metals at 18 deposits were estimated at 28.5 million tons.

Currently, annual imports of rare‑earth metals reach approximately 1.5 thousand tons. By 2030, it is planned to increase domestic production to 3 thousand tons per year and reduce the share of imports in the consumption structure from 75 % to 48 %.

Sources:

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8440279

https://dprom.online/mtindustry/rosseeya-planeeruyet-otkazatsya-ot-eemporta-leeteeya/

Translated into English by AI Alice