As confirmed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, the government of the country has granted the rights to develop the "Dobra" deposit in the Kirovohrad region to Dobra Lithium Holdings with American shareholders.
Ukraine has transferred the rights to mine lithium at the "Dobra" deposit in the Kirovohrad region to Dobra Lithium Holdings - a group of investors with connections in the USA. The selection of the winner of the tender for the development of the lithium deposit was announced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Telegram on the evening of Monday, January 12.
"The deposit will attract a minimum capital investment of $179 million, of which $12 million will be allocated for new geological exploration and international audit of reserves, and $167 million for organizing mining and enrichment in case industrial reserves of the deposit are confirmed," the statement said.
According to the Ukrainian Prime Minister, attracting investors from the USA enhances international attention to Ukraine and creates additional security guarantees for the country. "This project opens unprecedented opportunities for Ukraine to enter the highly competitive and high-tech global lithium industry alongside systemic American partners," Svyrydenko emphasized.
Lithium Holdings, whose shareholders include Techmet and The Rock Holdings, has "significant experience in the extraction of critically important minerals," the Ukrainian Prime Minister added.
One of the American Investors is a Personal Friend of Trump
According to the American financial company DFC, Techmet is supported by the U.S. government. The tender for the lithium project was announced in August 2025 and is considered the first project under a joint investment fund with the USA, Reuters clarifies. The agreement provides Washington with privileged access to new Ukrainian raw material resources and involves raising funds through a fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine after the cessation of Russian military aggression.
According to The New York Times (NYT), one of the investors in the group is billionaire Ronald S. Lauder, heir to a cosmetics empire and a personal friend of U.S. President Donald Trump. It is noted that Lauder has known Trump since college, and allegedly it was he who gave Trump the idea to "acquire" resource-rich Greenland.
The NYT reported four days before the announcement of the winner of the tender about the granting of lithium mining rights from the large state deposit "Dobra" to American investors. Two members of the Ukrainian government commission, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the publication on January 8 that a decision had already been made, but the agreement requires official approval from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. At the same time, NYT sources denied the assumption of favoritism in determining the winner.
In Summer, the Russian Federation Captured the Second of Four Lithium Deposits in Ukraine
As reported on June 28 by several Russian and Western publications, after the occupation of the small village of Shevchenko in the western Donetsk region by the Russian army, Ukraine lost an important lithium deposit. A correspondent for The New York Times from Kyiv wrote that Ukraine was "deprived of a crucial asset that could help support a new economic partnership with the USA."
The journalist also noted that the Shevchenkivske deposit was the first captured by the Russian Armed Forces after the signing of the subsoil agreement between Kyiv and Washington. It differed from other deposits in Ukraine by its high-quality ore, NYT notes.
In total, four major lithium ore deposits have been explored in Ukraine. One of them, Krutaya Balka in the Zaporizhia region, has also been under Russian occupation since 2022. Two others remain in the Kirovohrad region: Polokhovske and "Dobra," which is considered more promising. Mining has not yet been conducted at any of them.
