According to Russian industry media reports on November 10, 2026, the Russian government has made two key adjustments to its list of scarce solid minerals: titanium, previously a standalone entry, has been reclassified under the rare metal category, while manganese products have been included in the high-value-added product list. The relevant government decree was published on Russia's official legal information website on November 9, on the initiative of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia.
These two adjustments do not involve new mining rights or direct changes to mineral output. Their core purpose is to unify the policy, tax and industrial statistical standards for strategic mineral commodities. For market participants tracking Russian mineral policies and conducting China-Russia mineral cooperation, such list-level rule changes carry important long-term reference value.
1. Titanium: Reclassified from a Separate Mineral to the Rare Metal Category
Titanium was previously listed as an independent entry on Russia's scarce solid mineral list. Following this adjustment, titanium is grouped together with lithium, beryllium, rare earth elements, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum and rhenium under the "rare metals" category.
The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources stated two reasons for the change. First, to align the list provisions with the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, under which titanium has long been defined as a rare metal. Second, to facilitate unified assessment of the metal's strategic importance for statistical and policy-making purposes.
Note on definition: The scarce mineral list is a resource management and statistical document that identifies minerals prioritized for supply security and exploration. This adjustment does not alter tax rates, mining permits or export controls. Any subsequent supporting rules shall be subject to the full official decree and formal releases from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology and other competent authorities. Overinterpretation based only on headlines is not recommended.
2. Resource Base: Russia's Recorded Titanium Reserves Stand at 597 Million Tonnes, Ranking Third Globally
Data released by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology shows Russia's recorded titanium reserves reach approximately 597 million tonnes, the third-largest reserve base worldwide, after China and Australia. In 2026, Russia plans to add 165,000 tonnes of titanium reserves via geological exploration.
Compared with the total reserve volume, the annual reserve increment accounts for less than 0.1%, representing only marginal replenishment. It reflects continuous exploration investment rather than an immediate improvement in supply capacity.
It should also be noted that "recorded reserves" is a specific term under Russia's national reserve balance sheet system. It does not correspond perfectly with China's classification standards for "resources/reserves". For project evaluation, cross-verification against Russia's original reserve reports is required, and direct conversion or comparison is not applicable.
3. Abundant Reserves, Yet Titanium Output Hits a 10-Year Low
Massive resource reserves have not translated into production growth. In 2025, Russia's titanium output fell by 32.6% year-on-year to 16,940 tonnes, the lowest level in a decade. VSMPO-AVISMA, one of the world's major titanium producers, saw its capacity utilization drop from 70% to 47%.
Meanwhile, reforms on the circulation side are underway. On July 15 this year, the St. Petersburg Exchange completed its first transaction of titanium rolled products for general industrial use. The exchange plans to expand its titanium product portfolio, with ferrotitanium and titanium sponge scheduled for future listing.
Falling output, low operating rates and the launch of titanium trading on the exchange together point to a structural bottleneck in Russia's titanium industry. The constraint lies not in resource endowment, but in downstream processing capacity and domestic demand structure. Listing titanium rolled products on the exchange creates standardized quotation and trading channels to foster domestic demand. Reclassifying titanium as a rare metal provides corresponding policy positioning from the resource side. The two measures form a coordinated industrial logic.
4. Manganese: The List Addition Covers Manganese Products, Not Manganese Ore
The same government decree also revised the high-value-added product list to include manganese products.
Manganese is widely used in metallurgy. In ferrous metallurgy, it is mainly consumed in the form of ferromanganese and silicomanganese alloys. In non-ferrous metallurgy, manganese is added into aluminium, copper and nickel alloys to improve strength and corrosion resistance.
(This article is compiled from public online information and is for reference and sharing purposes only.)
