The destruction of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve for gold mining has begun: a road has been built through the ancient forest.

I previously published an article about the destruction of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve for gold mining. The situation there is catastrophic: a unique specially protected natural area is being torn apart without hesitation under the patronage of regional officials. All because someone wants to extract its gold reserves and make a fortune. The main problem is that this is a specially protected natural area, and, moreover, it remains one of the few places where the Amur tiger, listed in Russia’s Red Data Book, can still find refuge from humans.

Let me remind you that hungry tigers have been entering human settlements for several years now. Their habitat has been destroyed, their prey base has disappeared, and people are now calling for them to be shot for leaving the wild. An influential hunting lobby within the government is adding fuel to the fire: for years, they have been trying to legalize the killing of this rare tiger for coveted trophies.

Even experts are at a loss and do not know what to do. They openly describe the situation as an extremely brutal attack on the remnants of the animal population and their last remaining refuges.

I would like to briefly quote the publication “Vladivostok Novosti,” whose journalists conducted a detailed investigation into the problem:

“In the north of Primorsky Krai, within the buffer zone of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve, plans are underway to build a mining and processing plant, open-pit mines, roads, power lines, and a settlement for workers. This is the location of the Glukhoye deposit, from which approximately 40 tonnes of gold are expected to be extracted over ten years. Tens of billions of rubles are involved, including investment in the project, projected profits, and tax revenues. At the same time, the Primorye taiga and its ecosystem are under threat. The deposit lies between two major protected natural areas, and gold mining would require shifting the boundaries of the reserve’s buffer zone. Following protests from environmentalists, prosecutors challenged the approved environmental assessment, but this did not prevent the regional authorities from signing an agreement with the gold-mining company. News VL attempted to determine who is digging in the taiga and why, how the promised 48.3 billion rubles will be spent, and what the people of Primorye will ultimately receive.”

This is a concise and clear description of what is happening and of the background to the problem. Incidentally, this is one of the reasons why a bill is now being pushed through that would legalize the destruction of any specially protected natural area in the country. It is probably the most dangerous legislative initiative of recent years, effectively allowing oligarchs to appropriate the country’s protected-area system.

Now to the most important issue: what is happening to the reserve right now. Unfortunately, despite coverage by several media outlets, the issue remains extremely localized and has received no widespread attention. Our greatest hope lies with ordinary people: if one million people share this information, we may have a chance to force the issue through the government system and achieve change.

The situation has now entered an extremely serious phase. Despite opposition from scientists, experts, and even prosecutors to the reckless destruction of the reserve, a new section of unpaved road has been documented within the buffer zone. This is being done completely openly. Apparently, the “new owners” of this wildlife refuge have decided that they can simply ignore the law and every restriction.

An unpaved road has appeared directly within the buffer zone of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. This is despite the fact that LLC Gold Mining Company Glukhoye holds a license only for geological exploration, not for mining. But, as I wrote above, they simply do not care.

I previously published a separate article about gold-mining companies. They obtain exploration licenses on a massive scale but, in practice, engage in industrial gold mining, destroying entire ecosystems and polluting tens of thousands of kilometres of rivers.

Journalists now report that between May 10 and June 4, 2026, a new section of road approximately 500 metres long appeared within the buffer zone, leading toward the reserve and the Groznaya River, a tributary of the Kolumbe River.

I understand that it is difficult to connect numerous articles and publications into a single picture, so I would now like to present a complete chronology of what is happening to the reserve. 

Let us begin at the very beginning, when gold was first discovered there.

1. Soviet geologists discovered the Glukhoye gold occurrence in the middle reaches of the Kolumbe River between 1985 and 1988. Even then, it was clear that the deposit was located in an extremely sensitive area, close to territory that would later become one of the most important centres for the conservation of the Amur tiger. From that moment onward, the threat of industrial development effectively hung over Sikhote-Alin. The gold was discovered long ago, but for decades no one managed to launch full-scale mining there.

   
   

2. In 1997, as the environmental protection legislation of modern Russia was being established, regulations governing the buffer zone of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve were approved. In general, these regulations prohibited the construction of industrial facilities and the development of open-pit mines. However, a special provision was introduced for certain sections of the Melnichnoye forestry district, allowing mineral exploration and ore extraction. In other words, a legal inconsistency was embedded in the environmental protection document, and supporters of the gold-mining project are using it today. The territory is protected by law, yet the original protection regime already contained a provision allowing its industrial development.

   
   

3. The oligarchs attempted to move into the development of the deposit in 2011, when the company Primorzoloto won the right to use the site at auction. However, actual mining never began, and the license was subsequently revoked ahead of schedule. The deposit proved difficult and remote, requiring enormous infrastructure, including roads, power supply, industrial facilities, and intervention within the reserve’s buffer zone. The first attempt to commercially develop Glukhoye ended in failure, but no one abandoned the project itself.

   
   

4. Geological exploration continued actively, damaging the ecosystems of the buffer zone. In 2017, specialists recorded changes in the composition of aquatic organism communities in local waterways. Six years after the work was carried out, the natural system had still not fully recovered. This means that even so-called “exploration” causes enormous damage to ecosystems. This is extremely important because commercial operators actively justify the destruction of nature by claiming that their activities have “minimal impact.” The evidence shows otherwise.

   
   

5. In 2022, Vostok Invest received a license for geological exploration of the site. The license covered geological study only; it did not grant the right to build an open-pit mine or begin industrial gold production. The licensed area covers approximately 27.39 square kilometres, and its boundary lies almost directly adjacent to the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources subsequently confirmed separately that the project operator does not hold a mining license.

   
   

6. The oligarchs then decided to “reshuffle the cards.” In 2024, Vostok Invest was acquired by UVM Recycling LLC. Following the transaction, the company was renamed Gold Mining Company Glukhoye LLC, and its registered address was later transferred to Vladivostok. This means that the new operator decided to establish itself firmly in Primorsky Krai and use every available means to push through the destruction of the reserve for gold mining. In effect, the project to develop the old deposit acquired a new legal entity and was once again prepared for an industrial launch.

   
   

7. By the autumn of 2025, prosecutors had already documented violations near the reserve’s boundary, as “big business” began openly encroaching on the specially protected natural area. Geological exploration was conducted only 100–150 metres from the boundary of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. The Amur Basin Environmental Prosecutor’s Office documented the destruction of viable young forest growth, damage to fertile topsoil, and violations of the conditions governing subsoil use. Prosecutorial action and possible criminal proceedings were considered. As you can see, although the project was still supposedly limited to “exploration,” even prosecutors were already being forced to intervene and document violations.

   
   

8. In January and February 2026, the business sought the support of the regional government. The company presented the Primorsky Krai authorities with a full-scale industrial project, including a mining and processing complex, a gold-processing plant, roads, power lines extending up to 100 kilometres, and other infrastructure. The investment was estimated at between 46 and 48.3 billion rubles, approximately 600 jobs were promised, and the first gold production was planned for 2030. The main conditions for implementing the project explicitly included changing the boundaries of the buffer zone, revising its protection regime, and removing protected status from specially designated forest areas. They are saying all of this openly. No one is hiding anything.

   
   

9. However, as you can see, the Prosecutor’s Office, part of the country’s law-enforcement system, is still attempting to defend wildlife’s right to live. Following a prosecutor’s objection, an order issued by the regional Ministry of Forestry approving a positive state review of the forest-development project was revoked. The official website of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve then stated directly that any work at the deposit is currently illegal. Nevertheless, on March 10, 2026, the government of Primorsky Krai signed an investment agreement worth 48.3 billion rubles with Gold Mining Company Glukhoye LLC. Let me remind you that the powers of prosecutors are now extremely limited: prosecutors who had previously participated in the defence of the Lago-Naki Plateau in the Western Caucasus were later dismissed on the grounds of “loss of trust.” Can you imagine the pressure now being placed on everyone who attempts to defend the country’s protected-area system?

   
   
10. And now, in 2026, between May and early June, a protected wildlife refuge is being openly destroyed. Sentinel satellite images showed that between May 10 and June 4, 2026, a new section of unpaved road approximately 500 metres long appeared within the buffer zone, leading toward the reserve and the Groznaya River, a tributary of the Kolumbe River. This occurred despite the fact that the company holds a license only for geological exploration, while the reserve itself states that any work at the deposit is currently illegal.

That is the situation, my friends. It is disgusting. It is humiliating. It is completely incompatible with any form of administrative or scientific logic. This is our land, our homeland, and it is also a refuge for an endangered tiger whose habitat has already been destroyed and whose prey base has disappeared. Are we now supposed to remain silent and watch the last fragments of protected wilderness being destroyed?

What must be done?

On my own behalf and on behalf of our independent projects, we will prepare official statements for the relevant government agencies and attempt to initiate an investigation. However, nothing will happen without genuine public attention. It is therefore critically important for as many people as possible to share this information and help defend the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve.

In addition, we will publish instructions for action on the Green Page. I will announce them on social media. Please make sure to participate. Together, we will launch a broad public campaign to influence the situation.

These are frightening times. Experts are being silenced, scientists are being ignored, society is being pressured, and prosecutors are being dismissed. Meanwhile, officials and big business are openly dividing the remnants of the country’s protected areas among themselves.

© PAVEL PASHKOV