Russian troops have taken control of the village of Shevchenko in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, gaining access to one of the largest known lithium deposits in Eastern Europe.
The announcement was made by Russian-backed officials on 26th June and confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defence, which also stated that nearby Novoserhiivka had fallen into Russian hands.
The seizure of Shevchenko follows sustained combat and forms part of Russia’s broader offensive in Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions—along with Crimea—that Moscow has claimed through annexation since 2014. These claims are not recognised by Ukraine or the international community.
According to open-source mapping from Deep State, a Ukrainian military monitoring platform, Shevchenko is now under Russian control. Reuters noted that the battlefield development could not be independently verified at the time of publication, and there has been no official comment from the Ukrainian General Staff.
The village is located near a lithium-bearing geological formation first identified by Soviet geologists in 1982. The Ukrainian Geological Survey reports that the deposit lies on the eastern outskirts of Shevchenko and covers approximately 40 hectares. Preliminary estimates indicate reserves of around 1.2 million tonnes of ore with lithium concentrations exceeding 1.5%, making it one of the most promising untapped resources in the region.
Lithium is a key component in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and grid-scale energy storage systems. It is also used in specialist glass ceramics and aerospace alloys. With global demand surging, lithium prices peaked at over $80,000 per tonne in 2022, though they have since stabilised. As of 27th June 2025, the market price in China stands at approximately $8,500 per tonne.
Russian-appointed Donetsk official Igor Klimakovsky, quoted by TASS, claimed that the strategic value of the deposit explained Ukraine’s heavy defensive presence in the area. “This was one of the reasons why the Ukrainian armed forces sent a huge number of their soldiers to hold it,” he said. He further suggested that the deposit could be developed once the security situation allows.
The capture of Shevchenko may mark a shift in Russia’s military priorities towards resource acquisition, especially in light of its efforts to secure access to critical raw materials amid ongoing international sanctions. While no formal mining activity has yet been announced, analysts believe Russia may seek to incorporate strategic resource exploitation into its broader war aims, particularly in occupied territories.
The development comes at a time when Ukraine is pursuing deeper cooperation with Western partners to protect and develop its critical minerals sector. In early May, Kyiv and Washington signed a bilateral agreement on strategic minerals, including provisions for the creation of a US–Ukraine Recovery Investment Fund. The Ukrainian parliament ratified the agreement on 8th May, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signing it into law four days later. The accord aims to support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts and ensure control over its natural resource base.
The Shevchenko deposit was expected to play a key role in Ukraine’s post-war economic recovery and integration into European critical mineral supply chains. Its capture raises concerns about the potential loss of access to vital resources and the risk of unauthorised exploitation by occupying forces.
Previous Russian media reports had incorrectly claimed that Shevchenko’s lithium deposit had been captured earlier this year, confusing it with another village of the same name elsewhere. The current confirmation places the site firmly within Russian-controlled territory for the first time since the full-scale invasion began.
Ukraine’s government has consistently maintained that any extraction of resources from occupied regions is illegal under international law. Officials have called for additional sanctions targeting individuals and entities involved in unauthorised development of Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
As the war continues, the contest over natural resources has taken on new strategic dimensions. The loss of Shevchenko not only affects Ukraine’s economic prospects but also illustrates how control over critical materials is becoming a central aspect of twenty-first-century conflict.
