Turkey's Onur Group to begin graphite mining in Ukraine in 2026

Turkish construction and mining firm Onur Group plans to launch graphite ore extraction at the Burtynske deposit in Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region in 2026, the company’s Ukraine CEO Emre Karaahmetoglu told Forbes Ukraine.

The company currently holds five special permits: one for a gold deposit in Dnipropetrovsk region, three for kaolin in Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk, and one for graphite in Khmelnytskyi.

“Four of the sites are either awaiting clearance or facing challenges, especially due to land issues and proximity to the front line,” Karaahmetoglu said. “The graphite deposit is the most promising – we plan to begin production in 2026.”

He added that Onur Group no longer sees economic potential in the gold deposit project, as initial estimates of 4.5 grams per tonne of ore turned out to be just 1.4 grams, making extraction financially unfeasible.

Ukraine’s Burtynske deposit could become the country's largest graphite reserve, with nearly 130 million tonnes of confirmed ore containing an average of 5.14% graphite carbon, enough for 130 years of extraction, according to the State Geological Service.

The European Union listed the graphite project among its strategic initiatives in June.