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Global development and scientific and technological progress are intensifying the use of mineral raw materials (MRMs)—the necessary basis for the production of high-tech products. The advanced producing countries of these products are in dire need of various raw materials, which are critical and, as a rule, are supplied from third countries. Strategic is a mineral raw material, which is of particular importance for ensuring the economic development of the country, its defense and security. Due to the complex structure of extraction, processing and consumption of raw materials, many of its types are in short supply. In the world literature, the concept of "deficient MRMs" in its content most closely corresponds to "critical MRMs," that is, raw materials that are critically needed for industry and are characterized by a significant risk of their supplies. Most critical raw materials are needed for production promising high-tech industrial products and new materials and, in particular, for "green technologies" in connection with the course of decarbonization of the economy actively pursued by world powers. In the production of such products, the consumption of MRMs is growing rapidly, especially rare-earth elements (REEs), V, Li and platinum-group elements (PGEs). From the list of 61 kinds of MRMs that are strategic for Russia, the extraction of oil, gas, Cu, Au, PGEs, Ni, apatite ores, K salts, and diamonds (as well as nonlisted coals, Fe ores, Na salts, V, B ores, magnesite, and chrysotile asbestos) fully covers their current domestic consumption in the Russian Federation and the achieved level of export. U, Mn, and Cr ores; Zr; high-purity quartz raw materials (SiO2); bauxite (Al); graphite; fluorite and nonstrategic barite; kaolin; and bentonite are deficient; their exploitation only partially provides domestic consumption, which is largely dependent on imports; it is carried out in insufficient volumes in the presence of significant reserves of relatively low quality. The most deficient in this list are Ti, Li, Ta, Nb, and REEs (usually, there are groups of heavy and light rare earths (HREEs and LREEs, respectively)): their domestic consumption is provided mainly by imports with very limited production (despite large reserves, including low-quality ores). Re, Be, Nb, Ta, HREEs, Y, Sc, LREEs, Ge, Ga, Li, Hf, and Co, and, of nonstrategic MRMs, Bi and Sr, should be considered critical MRMs in the Russian Federation. The most important source of dispersed/associated elements is represented by raw materials of mining enterprises of nonferrous metallurgy: Cu and Zn subsectors, In, Ge, Ga, Cd, Tl, Se, Te, Sb, Bi, etc.; Al subsectors, Ga; for Au and Au–Ag deposits, Sb, As, Te, Se, Bi, Tl. An associated source of lithium is represented by brines of gas-condensate fields. The issues of assessing complex raw materials for high-tech industry are considered using the example of pyrite, porphyry, and gold-ore deposits of the Uralian fold belt, which play an important role in its overall metallogenic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the issue of Russia's self-sufficiency in import-dependent types (including critical ones) of strategic mineral raw materials. It is shown that, in recent years, the Government of Russia has been paying much attention to the development of the mineral-resource base (MRB) of strategic raw materials: in 2018, the "Strategy for the Development of the MRB of the Russian Federation until 2035" was approved, and in 2022 the "List of the Main Types of Strategic Mineral Raw Materials (SMRMs)" was published, after having been updated for the first time in 26 years. The article notes that self-sufficiency in SMRMs has been achieved for most items of the List. For 17 of the points in the List, the industry of the Russian Federation is highly dependent on imports; for some points, this dependence reaches 100%. Despite this, many domestic SMRM deposits that are critically dependent on imports are not developed due to low profitability. The analysis performed in the article shows that Russia can completely replace the import of mineral raw materials through the development of its own MRB of SMRMs. Self-sufficiency can be achieved most rapidly through the development of alluvial deposits, weathering crusts and recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of provision of the Russian high-tech industry with critical minerals is becoming more drastic every year due to the steady reduction of rich and relatively accessible deposits in technical and economic terms and the instability of its import delivery from producer countries due to political instability in the world. Domestic and global trends in the development of the mineral-resource base of high-tech industry and energy are shown. Having applied spatial statistics of geoinformational analysis, the maps of the locations of the main deposits and promising ore occurrences of high-tech metals (HTMs) in Russia were compiled. The degree of criticality of strategic and high-tech mineral raw materials for Russia was assessed. It is noted that the share of Russian HTM production in the world structure of their output is extremely small, despite the available reserves. Many domestic complex HTM-bearing deposits are not developed. Most HTMs necessary for the Russian industry are imported. The analysis has shown that Russia can increase the production of two HTM groups critical for green technologies—"battery" metals (Ni, Co, Li, Pt, Pd, Ro, and REE) and components for "photovoltaics" (Cd, Se, Te, Ge, Ga, and In). In recent years, the mineral-resource base of HTMs in Russia has been showing positive growth, and the development of a number of deposits is planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]