The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has revoked three special permits for the extraction of titanium ores that were previously controlled by companies linked to Dmytro Firtash. These deposits have now been returned to state ownership.
This is reported by Finway
Which Deposits Were Returned to the State
The permits concerned extraction at the Malyshivske deposit in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as the Valky-Hatskivske and Mezhyrichne deposits in the Zhytomyr region. The decision to revoke these special permits was made in light of the sanctions imposed on Firtash.
“The Cabinet of Ministers has classified these deposits as areas of subsoil, for which special permits can be granted through transparent electronic auctions. This opens up opportunities for attracting responsible investors and developing extraction under competitive and open conditions,” noted Svyrydenko.
Additionally, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reminded that the State Service of Geology and Subsoil of Ukraine is currently conducting an inspection of 38 so-called “dormant” special permits for the use of strategic minerals.
Control and List of Special Permits Held by Firtash’s Group
According to information on the Group DF website of Dmytro Firtash, the company controlled the Motronivsky Mining and Processing Plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as the Mezhyrichensky Mining and Processing Plant and the Valky-Ilmenite Mining and Processing Company, which are located in Irshansk, Zhytomyr region.
As noted by the publication Nadra.info, these enterprises held the following special permits for the extraction of titanium ores:
- LLC “Valky-Ilmenite” – No. 2578, Valky-Hatskivske deposit;
- LLC “Mezhyrichensky GZK” – No. 2694, Mezhyrichne deposit;
- LLC “Motronivsky GZK” – No. 3640, Malyshivske deposit (zircon-rutile-ilmenite-bearing sands).
Back in June 2021, a decision by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) annulled special permit No. 3590 for the extraction of apatite-ilmenite ores from the Stremygorodske deposit in the Zhytomyr region, which was granted to LLC “Valky-Ilmenite”. At that time, the Motronivsky and Mezhyrichensky GZKs were not included in the sanctions list.
In March 2023, the State Geology and Subsoil Service, in accordance with the new Subsoil Code, suspended the special permits for all Ukrainian companies in Firtash’s group. However, the company’s lawyers partially managed to overturn most of the decisions in court.
In 2024, by a decision of the NSDC, special permit No. 3640, which previously belonged to the Motronivsky GZK, was annulled. Notably, this permit was sold to LLC “Tiberius Plus” just a day before the sanctions were imposed.
In January 2025, the Mezhyrichensky GZK, which was also controlled by Firtash, resumed operations at its ilmenite concentrate production plant.
In early February 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted the NSDC’s decision on additional sanctions against Dmytro Firtash. This allowed the companies controlled by the oligarch to be stripped of the rights to develop strategic mineral deposits.