$15 TRILLION MINERAL WEALTH

March 12, 2025

Dear UFF Friends and Supporters,

Today we share information about Ukraine’s mineral resources – a crucial factor in the country’s economic future and one of many reasons why defending Ukrainian territory matters beyond just borders.

A map provided by Ukrainian group UnitedMedia 24 shows the location of critical mineral resources across the country (UnitedMedia 24)

 

Europe’s Mineral Giant

According to the Ukrainian Geologic Survey, Ukraine possesses nearly $15 trillion worth of mineral resources, representing 5% of the world’s total mineral wealth. This makes Ukraine one of Europe’s most resource-rich nations, with the continent’s largest reserves of lithium, titanium, and uranium.

Ukraine holds 23 of the 50 materials deemed critical by the U.S. government, including:

– Titanium: essential for aerospace applications;

– Graphite: comprising 20% of global resources;

– Lithium: the largest deposits in Europe (estimated at half a million tonnes);

– Beryllium: vital for defense and telecommunications;

– Rare earth elements: including lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, erbium, and yttrium.

As reported by Forbes Ukraine, these resources are valuable and positioning Ukraine as a potential global leader in mineral production.

Mineral in Occupation

The most concerning aspect of Ukraine’s mineral situation involves location. According to the latest frontline data from the Institute for the Study of War (February 2025), approximately 53% of Ukraine’s total mineral wealth – worth over $7.5 trillion – lies in regions currently under partial Russian occupation.

These resources include:

– Deposits in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions;

– $205 billion worth of minerals in Crimea;

– Additional $3.5 trillion in Dnipropetrovsk region, now threatened by advancing forces.

Even more critical is the proximity of certain valuable deposits to frontline zones. For instance, one lithium ore deposit near Shevchenko in Donetsk sits less than 10 miles from recently captured territory.

Why This Matters?

These mineral resources represent Ukraine’s future economic development potential. According to Foreign Policy research, Ukraine holds “commercially relevant deposits of 117 of the 120 most-used industrial minerals across more than 8,700 surveyed deposits.”

UFF remains committed to supporting Ukrainians regardless of geopolitical or economic interests. We believe that every human life holds value beyond any mineral wealth, and everyone deserves to live peacefully and freely in their homeland.

Thank you for standing with Ukraine

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