Putin's control over valuable lithium deposits: Danger for Ukraine!

Putin's control over valuable lithium deposits: Danger for Ukraine!

On June 29, 2025, Russia took the village of Schewtschenko in the southeast of Ukraine. This is evaluated by experts as a strategic victory in the Ukraine War. Under the village there are one of the largest lithium deposits in Europe, which ranges at up to 13.8 million tons of lithium -containing rock. At the end of April, a raw material agreement between the United States and Ukraine was signed, which should secure the American companies preferred access to these important resources. Schwäbische Post reports that the loss of the lithium field Ukraine is at risk, which could further complicate the implementation plans of the raw material agreement.

The Ukrainian military has denied a complete line -up, but confirms that the front lines in this region are among the most intensive ones. In addition to lithium, valuable elements such as tantalum, niob, beryllium, caesium, rubidium and tin are available in this field, with the spodal content of 90%. The loss of these raw materials could also burden the reconstruction of Ukraine, since the government is dependent on income from this resource exploitation. countries analyzes emphasizes that the Ukraine makes a decisive contribution to its economic reconstruction could.

geopolitical implications

The strategic value of the Ukrainian soil treasures is often underestimated. President Vladimir Putin is very interested in controlling Ukrainian resources or hindering their exploitation. Russia's goal could be to stabilize its autocratic model by appropriation of these resources. According to the analysis, Ukraine, if it becomes a member of the EU, could reduce the dependence of Europe on strategic raw materials. countries analyzes emphasized that Ukraine is significant energy resources and crooked treasures such as coal, earth and tan has.

Ukraine is home to around 34 billion tons of the second largest coal reserves in Europe. It also has a well-structured gas network and a powerful energy system consisting of core, heat and hydropower plants. Before the war, the proportion of nuclear power in electricity generation was around 50%. Despite this potential, the destruction of the energy infrastructure caused by the war is one of the greatest challenges; About 50% of the infrastructure are damaged.

investments and challenges

The development of the Ukrainian raw materials could turn out to be difficult to implement, since two of the four largest lithium occurrence (Schewschenko and Kruta Balka) are now largely under Russian control. In order to develop a modern mine, an average of 18 years and investments between $ 500 million and $ 1 billion are required. In addition, the West estimates the direct war damage by Russia at around 155 billion euros; The required modernization thrust for Ukraine could cost up to 8 trillion euros.

The conflict in Ukraine and control over its resources not only are a threat to the country's economic stability, but also have far -reaching geopolitical implications. Schwäbische Post emphasizes that the continuation of American plans for decoupling from China and Russia could be shaken in rare earths by the continuous instability in the region.