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Transition minerals in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Tracking human rights and environmental impacts linked to transition minerals in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

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Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) is emerging as a new hot spot for transition mineral extraction and supply, primarily due to its vast reserves of these minerals now critical to a fast transition to clean energy. The focus on this region is further compounded by rising geopolitical tensions and conflicts, with Russia’s war on Ukraine forcing Western countries to reduce their dependence on Russia’s fossil fuels and China’s minerals. These countries, particularly in the EU, are diversifying their supply of transition minerals by building strategic partnerships with resource-rich countries in EECA.

At a glance

The tracker is updated on an ongoing basis as new allegations are identified and added through our research.

1064

allegations of abuse

Allegations of environmental and human rights abuses linked to mining project development, extraction and processing of transition minerals 2019-2025

20

minerals

that play an important role in energy transition

16

countries

in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region

>45%

of allegations affect workers/communities

Workers and communities were affected the most (53% and 38% of all allegations)

This tracker seeks to expose environmental and human rights abuses linked to mining project development, extraction and processing of transition minerals in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The following 20 minerals are included in this research: aluminium/bauxite, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt, copper, graphite, iron, lead, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, platinum, rare earth, silver, tin, titanium, uranium and zinc. For more information on how the data was collected and analysed, please see the methodology section in our briefing.

Search by company

Find a company developing, mining or processing transition minerals to identify whether its activity has been linked to allegations of environmental and human rights abuses. This tracker includes companies and allegations covered by our EECA regional research.

Parilov, Shutterstock

Workers paying the price: Hidden costs of the transition mineral boom in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 2026 analysis

Demand for minerals critical to the just energy transition in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) has continued to grow over the past year, accompanied by an increasing number of allegations of environmental harm and human rights abuse linked to their development, extraction and processing. Our 2025 data show that the number of allegations increased by 38% compared with 2024, rising from 270 to 373.

Photos: Shutterstock