What Rare Earth Minerals Does Ukraine Have?
Rare earth talk gets messy fast because people mix up elements (neodymium, yttrium) with minerals (monazite, apatite) that contain them. Ukraine has documented rare earth mineralization in several deposits and districts, yet it has no commercially operating rare earth mines today.
Below is what can be supported by public technical sources, plus what is widely claimed but harder to verify in open data.
The rare earth minerals you can actually point to:
Monazite (a rare earth phosphate)
Dibrova U-Th-REE deposit (Azov Megablock, Ukrainian Shield): peer-reviewed work describes monazite grains as part of the rare-earth mineralization.
Novopoltavske deposit: an official Ukrainian Geological Survey handout references monazite developing on apatite in parts of the ore/weathering profile.
Apatite (a phosphate mineral that can host rare earths)
Novopoltavske: described as a phosphate deposit where apatite is the main phosphate mineral, with associated rare-earth mineralization noted in the same deposit description.
That’s the cleanest “minerals-first” answer from open, higher-credibility material.
Where those minerals show up: the main Ukrainian settings
1) Ukrainian Shield (including the Azov Megablock)
Academic work links the Dibrova deposit to the Azov Megablock of the Ukrainian Shield, with rare-earth mineralization involving monazite.
2) Large phosphate + rare earth system at Novopoltavske
Ukraine’s Geological Survey material describes Novopoltavske as a large phosphate and rare earth deposit and even attaches an indicative capital need (public pitch deck level, not a feasibility study).
A separate official deposit brief gives more geology and reserve-accounting detail (including that rare earth ores are on the state balance sheet and that parts are off-balance for economic or technological reasons).
Named deposits you’ll see in reporting, and what is (and isn’t) verified
Novopoltavske (phosphate + rare earths)
What public documents support:
Rare earth mineralization is discussed alongside other components (zirconium and Nb-Ta-REE associations are mentioned), and the brief includes reserve-accounting entries for “rare earth ores” on Ukraine’s state balance as of 01.01.2022.
It’s promoted by the Ukrainian Geological Survey as a major phosphate/rare earth deposit, with a public estimate of investment needed.
Azovske and Mazurivske (often framed as Ukraine’s headline rare earth deposits)
What multiple higher-credibility sources support:
These deposits are repeatedly cited as known rare earth locations in Ukraine, with a recurring constraint: war and territorial control.
A straight market reality check:
Industry and media analysis has warned that Ukraine’s rare earth narrative leans heavily on older Soviet-era assessments, and viability is uncertain without modern drilling, metallurgy, and permitting work.
Yastrubetske (less famous, still mentioned)
IEEE Spectrum cites Yastrubetske among the “slightly bigger” deposits referenced by a Geological Survey of Sweden geologist, along with Novopoltavske, Azovske, and Mazurivske.
Petrovo-Hnutivske and “parisite” claims
Some Ukrainian media report parisite (a rare earth fluorocarbonate mineral) at Petrovo-Hnutivske.
Does Ukraine mine rare earths right now?
No. Reuters’ commodity coverage states Ukraine has no commercially operating rare earth mines and no deposits under active development, while also noting that detailed reserve data is treated as sensitive/classified.
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