Ukraine is preparing to relaunch state-funded geological exploration as early as 2026 and to do it together with international partners — the US, Germany, Canada and the UK have already shown interest. Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Yehor Perelyhin told Ukrinform that the state is bringing back a dedicated budget program for subsoil exploration after more than 10 years of pause.
Why this matters
Since the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine has been talking a lot about critical minerals, reconstruction materials and energy security — but there has been almost no new state-funded geology. Without updated data on deposits, it is harder to attract private investors, launch processing, or become part of Western critical raw materials chains. Restarting exploration is the “first button” in that system.
Perelyhin admitted that Ukraine has not financed full-fledged geological exploration from the budget “for more than 10 years.” Now the state wants to change that and immediately bring in partners who are ready to co-finance or provide technology.
How they will start during the war
Because of security risks, Ukraine cannot yet conduct full airborne surveys — for example, lidar or radar scanning of large territories. But, as the deputy minister stressed, this should not stop the process.
“We have hundreds of locations of already discovered ore occurrences. We can go there with drilling rigs and start working. The war will end — there will be lidar scanning, GIS and other technologies. But we don’t need to waste time,” Perelyhin said.
So the logic is this:
-
Phase 1 (during war): work on Soviet-era and previously studied ore occurrences — iron ore, titanium, manganese, building materials — where the geology is known, and the task is to clarify reserves.
-
Phase 2 (after risks decrease): move to modern remote sensing, airborne geophysics and large-scale mapping to search for new deposits.
This approach lets Ukraine “not lose the year 2026” and be ready with a package of prepared fields when big investors arrive.
Who will be involved
According to the ministry, several countries have already shown interest — the US, Germany, Canada and the UK. Their role may include:
-
providing modern equipment and software for geological data processing;
-
participation in joint projects on critical minerals;
-
possible co-financing through development banks or special funds.
Link to the new US–Ukraine investment instrument
Perelyhin also recalled that the Cabinet of Ministers approved the procedure for implementing agreements on the American-Ukrainian Investment Fund for Reconstruction. The government calls this a practical mechanism that:
-
sets rules for how foreign investors interact with Ukrainian authorities,
-
opens the way for projects in subsoil use, infrastructure, energy and high tech,
-
and, importantly, gives investors a predictable algorithm for entering Ukrainian projects.
Geology fits perfectly into this logic: if the state finances the primary exploration and confirms reserves, it becomes much easier to bring in American or European money for mining and processing.
What Ukraine wants in the end
-
Restore its own mineral base for reconstruction (cement, crushed stone, refractory raw materials);
-
Develop critical minerals — titanium, lithium, rare earths — which are in demand in the EU and the US;
-
Reduce dependence on imports of raw materials that can be produced in Ukraine;
-
Offer partners ready-made projects instead of just saying “we have potential”.
So 2026 may become the first year in a long time when Ukrainian geology is not just about storing old Soviet maps, but about generating new data that can be monetized.
