For decades, the extraction and export of valuable minerals were practically outside the legal field.

"Gold has a price, but jade is priceless" - a Chinese proverb has a very specific applied meaning when it comes to the extraction and sale of this mineral. The Chinese believe that the stone has medicinal and even magical properties, and therefore they are ready to pay for it at prices higher than market ones. More precisely, at black market prices. Russia could extract serious dividends from this whim of its neighbors, because on its territory there are large reserves of jade, concentrated in the Republic of Buryatia, just near the border with China. But over the years, super profits from the jade trade flowed into China, without tangible benefits both for the budget and for the small indigenous peoples, on the territory of whose historical settlement the mining was carried out. Only now the state has formed a comprehensive policy on the jade issue and has begun to restore order in the territory, which for a long time was a real "blank spot" from the point of view of the law.

In we talked about the fact that in Russia there is a whole export industry, which is almost completely outside the legal field, and therefore, in the zone of influence of near-criminal structures. It was about the extraction of jade. This stone is considered semi-precious in Russia, along with, for example, opal, turquoise or tourmaline. So, probably, it seemed from Moscow: more gem, less gem ... We should first deal with gas and oil, gold and nickel. And let them deal with jade in Buryatia.

But here, apparently, the magical properties of the mineral showed themselves. Local law enforcement officers, republican officials from Rosnedra, and even the federal leadership of this department fell under their influence. How else can one explain the fact that for a long time they did not see the difference between folk craft and industrial production of semi-precious stone?

Back in the 90s of the last century, when the Soviet mining industry in Buryatia collapsed, and the trade of private traders with China, on the contrary, went uphill, in fact, the family-clan Evenk community (SREO) became the only organization in the field of extraction and sale of jade in Buryatia. " Dylacha ”is a non-profit organization created to support one of the indigenous peoples living in Buryatia - the Evenks. Reindeer husbandry, sled dog breeding and folk crafts are the main tasks of the Dylachi charter. And here are the additional ones: mining of ores and sands of precious metals, as well as precious and semiprecious stones (except diamonds) and their wholesale. In the practical activities of "Dylachi" the emphasis was placed on the extraction and sale of jade. The community leadership remembered the Evenks mainly in those cases when it needed to protect its interests in the public space. And so - I worked in the most comfortable conditions: minimum taxes, maximum net profit.

At the same time, the position of "Dylachi" was always actively supported by officials, for example, Vladimir Bavlov, who in the 90s led the Bauntovsky district of Buryatia (one of the largest jade deposits is located on its territory), and then made a career at the federal level, first becoming an adviser. and later as deputy head of Rosnedr. It is not surprising that in all the conflicts that arise, Dylachi's side was also taken by his de facto subordinate, the head of the republican department of the federal agency, Georgy Yalovik. What can we say about local law enforcement officers in the rank of district police officer. Well, he discovered, for example, a couple of hundred kilometers from the nearest settlement, a huge production site, equipped with the most modern technology, where, without stopping, the development of a jade deposit is being carried out - and then what? Try to arrest everyone, risking a conflict with the informal security service, to check if there are people with criminal experience in its composition who are ready to use weapons if necessary?

It seemed that there would be no end and end to this freeman, but a player appeared on the jade site, which everyone seemed to have forgotten about - the state.

A drop wears away a stone

The first large-scale special operation to suppress illegal mining of jade in Buryatia was carried out in the fall of 2012. As a result, the republican Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case against unidentified persons from among the leaders of "Dylachi". According to the investigation, the suspects organized illegal extraction of jade on the territory of the Kavoktinskoye field. From the point of view of the Criminal Code, this was qualified as theft, and on an especially large scale (20 tons of illegally mined stone was estimated at 600 million rubles). An uncomplicated mechanism for committing a crime was also established: "The geographic coordinates of the site provided to the community were falsified in the licensing and permissive documents for the use of subsoil, which allowed the defendants, under the guise of legal mining, to develop deposits in another territory."

Then, in September 2012, the police managed to detain the crime boss Ilshat Sadykov (aka Sadyk), who, according to the investigation, exercised "criminal control over the production and sale of the semi-precious stone jade in Buryatia."

The actions of the security forces to decriminalize the extraction and export of jade were supported by the President of Buryatia Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn. It was as a result of his appeal in August 2012 that the Federal Customs Service issued an order to establish a single post on the territory of the republic for declaring all jade exported from the country. Note that back in 2010, the ex-head of the FSB of Buryatia Nikitin went to work just in the Federal Customs Service. A single customs post is one of the key elements in the formation of the civilized rules of the game. After all, the lion's share of the mined jade is exported, and now those who want to sell the semi-precious stone to Chinese partners will have to somehow justify its legal origin. Well, or trying to export it to a neighboring country illegally, with all the ensuing consequences.

The logical strengthening of the federal center was the almost synchronous replacement of the heads of the republican FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In November 2013, the republican FSB was headed by Kazbek Khodov, and in March 2014, Vladimir Putin dismissed the Minister of Internal Affairs of Buryatia, Alexander Zaichenko. The appointment of a new Minister of Internal Affairs of Buryatia is expected in the near future.

But the war, as you know, is not won by the generals, therefore important, though not so noticeable from Moscow, changes have taken place “on the ground”. A permanent police stronghold was created at the Bauntovsky 1-2 license area, and, as they say, not on paper: the security guards have the necessary powers, material and technical support and personnel. And in 2014, its own department of internal affairs was formed in the Bauntovsky district.

As a result, since the beginning of the year, police officers have withdrawn 6,515 kg of jade from the illegal turnover, seized and immobilized 12 pieces of equipment.

Many "black diggers" migrated from the Bauntovsky area to the Okinsky area, where there are unallocated deposits of jade. The fight for "nobody's" stone took on a serious turn: on February 5, 2014, 70 kilometers from the village of Samarta Okinsky, there was a shootout, two people were killed. Obviously, the police presence needs to be strengthened in all areas where there are jade deposits.

Struggle for subsoil

However, the security forces alone cannot solve the problem by definition. The time of "black diggers" is over, but who will replace them? After all, the mining of jade itself is not criminal in nature, it is only important to find investors who are ready to conduct it in the legal field, respecting the interests of the state.

Back in 2011, Rosnedra tried to distribute licenses for the development of deposits through auctions, but it turned out that the auctions conducted in this way could be easily disrupted. The technology is simple: several related firms are announced for the auction, they play in concert to increase the price, thus cutting off bona fide competitors: after all, within the framework of the auction, price is not only the main, but also the only criterion for choosing a winner. It is simply impossible to compete with fake "daisies" promising outrageous payments in this scheme. And they declare deliberately impossible conditions because their real task is not to win, but to disrupt the auction.

This is how it worked in Buryatia. According to the results of the auction held in April 2011, the winner, OOO Transit, undertook to pay more than 26.5 billion rubles for the right to develop the two most promising areas, Kavokta and Kavokta-2; two other winners also paid more than a billion rubles for some plots, and for three they promised to fork out 58 billion at once. But the budget did not see this money, because due to imperfect legislation, the dummy participants in the auction do not bear any obligations, except for the payment of a deposit of 200-400 thousand rubles.

Therefore, in 2012, it was decided to move from an auction to a tender: this scheme makes it possible to evaluate participants not only in terms of financial promises, but also in terms of specific plans for their work at the field.

“Dylacha” entered the competition in the Bauntovsky district, and by its own efforts, as one might assume, it was eventually torn down, and the competition documentation was destroyed (which served as the basis for initiating a criminal case). As a result, the community continued mining jade on the basis of a valid license (the question of where it came from is worth asking the already mentioned Bavlov and Yalovik). But, as the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation established, Dylacha systematically violated the requirements of the legislation in the field of subsoil use, about which the supervisory authority notified Rosnedra in the summer of last year. And six months later, the license issued to the community was suspended and then completely terminated. And now "Dylacha" itself has actually been liquidated, since the courts upheld the claim of the republican prosecutor's office. Indeed, how long can one engage in industrial mining and wholesale of jade instead of reindeer herding?

New owner

So, "Dylacha" went down in history. But did this mean that the development of jade deposits in the Republic of Buryatia should have stopped altogether?

Rosnedra officials came to the conclusion that it would be possible to appoint a temporary operator of the deposit before a new tender, and assigned Zabaikalskoe Mining Enterprise LLC to this role. What dictated their choice and what kind of company is it?

In the Trans-Baikal (and not only) media, characteristic materials immediately began to appear: ZGRP, they say, is a banal one-day story behind which there are almost criminal bosses. But the reality is quite consistent with the general trend towards a comprehensive return of the state to the jade business. In fact, LLC ZGRP is a subsidiary of the state corporation Russian Technologies ( see help "New").

The logic is simple and clear: since adequate private investors did not come to the tenders, it is necessary to entrust the solution of the problem to a structure that directly realizes the interests of the state. There is no legal conflict here: in October 2013, Zabaikalskoe Mining Enterprise won the tender for the development of the Bauntovskiy 1-2 site and soon received a license. And one should not be surprised at his own possible victories in tenders for the rest of the fields, because, unlike fictitious participants in the auctions, ZHF offers not only money, but also concrete plans for a qualitative change in the situation.

Let us recall, for example, what was Dylacha supposed to do? Reindeer husbandry. The deer is indeed the most important element of the Evenks' self-identification, without this animal there is no people. But what did the Buryat Evenks get from Dylachi? The promise to increase the herd from 300 to 500 heads (despite the fact that four decades ago the population of Buryat deer totaled 3000 heads). Zabaikalskoe Mining Enterprise has already bought a herd of reindeer, although its formal task is to make a profit, and not at all to take care of the interests of the indigenous peoples of Buryatia. In addition, Zabaikalskoe Mining Enterprise has already signed an agreement with the administration of the Bauntovskiy Evenki District on the socio-economic development of this area. This is the state approach: socially significant programs are not declared, they are being implemented. And it's not just the reindeer: part of the profits of the ZGRP, as it was announced, will be spent on solving the social problems of local residents.

This is important not only for ethnic Evenks, but also for all residents of the nephrite-bearing regions of Buryatia. After all, where there is a responsible owner, legal jobs appear, which have not been heard here for decades. These are taxes to the local budget, which the "black diggers" actually robbed.

In the plans of ZHFF - and the transition from the banal extraction of jade raw materials exclusively for export to its processing in Russia. It is clear that the end customers will still be the Chinese. But if we invite Chinese craftsmen to Russia and establish with their help production with high added value, both budgets of all levels and local residents will benefit from this.

Since a new owner has come to the site, it is important that he is not focused solely on skimming. After all, during the extraction of minerals, there is an opportunity to extract the best reserves - due to the fact that everything else remains in mines and in dumps. Obviously, all former subsoil users in Buryatia acted according to this scheme. The subsidiary structure of Russian Technologies intends to use the potential given by nature in full.

Obviously, after a long period of timelessness and mismanagement, any changes in the situation for the better will be gradual, and it will be possible to give them a comprehensive assessment in a few years. But order is always better than chaos, and the one who can demonstrate this in practice will become the new "jade king".

Alexey BARINOV

Revealed more than 700 mineral deposits of various genesis, of which more than 600 are taken into account by the state balance of Russia and the territorial balance of the Republic of Buryatia.

Among the identified deposits - 247 gold deposits (228 placer, 16 ore and 3 complex).

The list of strategic types of mineral raw materials includes 7 deposits of tungsten, 13 - uranium, 4 - polymetals, 2 - molybdenum and beryllium, one - tin, several deposits of copper-nickel and aluminum raw materials.

The republic has 48% of the balance reserves of zinc and 24% of the lead of the Russian Federation, concentrated in the explored large complex pyrite-polymetallic deposits - Kholodninskoye and Ozernoye. Revealed and evaluated are also medium-sized, but high-quality ores deposits - Nazarovskoe gold-zinc and Davatkinskoe lead-zinc.

Of non-metallic minerals, first of all, there are reserves of raw materials for the production of potash-free and phosphorus fertilizers, fluorspar (8 deposits), asbestos, a number of deposits of jade, graphite and zeolites. The republic is well supplied with stocks of raw materials for the production of building materials.

Balance reserves fluorite are able to meet the needs of metallurgical enterprises in Siberia and the Far East in lump fluorite.

Ornamental jade stone, which in the Republic of Buryatia contains more than 90% of the Russian balance reserves, and products from it are especially in demand in the countries of Southeast Asia. There are 2 types of stone in the republic - green and, more valuable, white.

Fuel and energy resources represented by 10 deposits of brown coal and 4 deposits of coal, the balance reserves of these deposits will be enough for hundreds of years to meet the needs of the fuel and energy complex of Buryatia and nearby regions.

High share of reserves of non-ferrous and rare metals Buryatia in the all-Russian - from 10-11% for uranium and beryllium to 48% for zinc, predetermined the inclusion of the mineral resource complex among the priority areas of development of the republic.

The value of the explored balance reserves of minerals in Buryatia exceeds 212.9 billion US dollars. No less cost is the reserves of deposits not accounted for by the state balance sheet and forecast resources.

Attractive for investors is the fact that most of the large and unique mineral deposits are located within a radius of up to 200 km from the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railways.

Currently, on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia, gold (ore and alluvial), coal, uranium, fluorspar, jade, and cement raw materials are mined.

In addition to the deposits being developed, large and medium-sized deposits of polymetallic ores, tungsten and molybdenum, coal, uranium, and beryllium are at the stage of preparation for development. The issues of attracting additional investments are being considered for these fields.

The commissioning of mining and processing plants based on polymetal deposits will allow the Republic of Buryatia to become one of the leaders in the supply of zinc and lead within the Russian Federation and start exporting them to the People's Republic of China.

The development of the Orekitkansky and Zharchikhinsky deposits of molybdenum will cover the needs of the Russian Federation in molybdenum.

Uranium is of strategic importance, its extraction within the Khiagda ore field will significantly increase the taxable base of the republic.

The unallocated fund contains deposits of highly pure quartz and quartzite, potassium-alumina raw materials, polymetals, tungsten and molybdenum, tin and a number of other minerals.

Individual deposits, due to their peculiarities, are of particular interest.

The complexity of the ores of the Synnyrsky and Mukhalsky deposits of potassium and alumina raw materials makes it possible to create a number of industries for the production of alumina (raw materials for the aluminum industry), chlorine-free potash fertilizers, soda, as well as, depending on the technology chosen - cement, glass and porcelain-faience products, building materials ...

The main prospects of the Chulbon deposit are associated with a steady growing demand for ultra-pure quartz and a large multiplier effect from development, provided that higher processing facilities are located in the territory of Buryatia.

On the basis of the Elandinsky brown coal deposit, it is possible to build a mining and processing plant for the extraction and use of coal for energy combustion, obtaining liquid fuel, and associated extraction of germanium.

The Chayskoye copper-nickel deposit is promising due to the high demand for nickel and copper.

Iron ore deposits, small in terms of reserves, but located at a small distance from each other, can be considered as a single raw material base for one metallurgical plant.

There are also promising titanium areas in the republic: Vitimkonskaya area in terms of resources and quality of raw materials is comparable to the Chineysky deposit in the Trans-Baikal Territory.

The history of Buryatia is much deeper and more ancient, goes back to the nomadic pagan tribes, Genghis Khan, intertwined with Russian Cossacks and the formation of Russian statehood.

And, what is most interesting, at all times one of the most mysterious minerals of Buryatia was an integral part of the history of the republic. It's about jade.

Through me

In the emergence of an interesting historical phenomenon, characteristic only for our republic, perhaps, not the last role was played by the closeness with the eternal connoisseur of jade - China. Although ... It is known that at the time of scattered nomadic tribes, ornamental stone was already valued and used as a bargaining chip. And Genghis Khan, who united the Mongol world, carried with him a jade seal, carved in the shape of a tiger, with a unique imprint.

The Russian state drew attention to jade in the 19th century, when the Cossack discoverers found mineral deposits in the mountains of the Eastern Sayan Mountains. The empire did not attach great importance to the mineral, they made trinkets from it and sometimes used it as a finishing stone in construction. They seriously returned to jade only in the Soviet years, when geologists discovered a placer of deposits in Buryatia. Before the war, the Ospinskoye, Gorlykgolskoye, Ulankhodinskoye deposits were discovered, it was found that there is jade on the Vitim River and its tributaries. Then, much later, in the 80s, jade was found not only in Bount and Mue, but also in Zakamna, Tunka and Oka.

The times of perestroika and the crisis of the 90s, unfortunately, did not write the best page in the history of Buryat jade. But, fortunately, this period is over.

Decriminalization and temples

In 2013, President Vladimir Putin ordered the Rostec State Corporation and the country's law enforcement agencies to decriminalize stone mining by his decree. In parallel with the cleanup of outright criminals, the construction of an "industrial, state-oriented system for the extraction and processing of jade in the republic" began. A joint-stock company Zabaikalskoe Mining Enterprise (ZGRP JSC) was registered, which over five years of successful activity has demonstrated that the extraction of jade is not a crime, but a technological, transparent and useful labor for the region, capable of bringing real benefits to the state, and local residents.

The head of Buryatia, Aleksey Sambuevich Tsydenov, praised the long-term work of the company in the republic: “ZGRP is the company with which other jade miners should follow an example. This concerns the high quality of project preparation, their implementation, the quality of mining operations, this concerns the volume of tax payments. The company creates jobs for residents of the region, pays them "white" salaries. Now they have an increase in the cost of the sold stone, that is, the price of jade sold by the company has significantly increased. In turn, due to tax deductions that come from the ZGRP, our republican budget revenues are correspondingly growing, the company definitely deserves the support of the region ”.

In the period from 2014 and including the 1st quarter of 2018, taxes and insurance premiums were paid - 697 million rubles. Financial assistance was provided for social and economic development for the same period - more than 49 million rubles.

You don't have to go far for an example. Buryatia is the center of Buddhism in Russia, and ZGRP takes an active part in the construction of datsans, allocating funds for the purchase of materials. For example, in the Kyakhta region of Buryatia, the construction of the Palace of Buddha Vajrasatva continues with funds from the ZGRP, the publication in the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia reported.

Recently, the media spread alarming news: a temple of one of the local Buddhist communities was put up for auction. It was about 19 million rubles.

I turned to many people for help in this matter. But only ZGRP responded to my request, - said the rector of the Lamrim community Choy-Dorzhi Budaev. - The management of this enterprise paid the necessary amount, and we saved the temple. We will be able to resume services soon. I can say that for ZGRP such a broad gesture will bring success in work and prosperity to employees and their families. And we will try to reimburse the company for this amount later.

“I turned to many people for help ... But only ZGRP responded to my request,” said Choy-Dorzhi Budaev, rector of the Lamrim Buddhist community.

Strong support

Since the founding of JSC "ZGRP" there have been positive changes in the Bauntovsky area. From the first days of its operation, the company determined that one of its important missions should be social responsibility before the population. Hundreds of residents of the region and the republic got stable and well-paid jobs in ZGRP. Almost half of the company's employees are Bount residents. People like the working conditions. Indeed, there is everything you need: furniture, TV, cable TV. You can go to the gym, play billiards or table tennis. Football and volleyball tournaments are held. For uninterrupted communication, a telephone line is installed, the Internet is working. The salary of employees is charged strictly "in white", there is a full social package.

The number of employees during the production season at the geological fracturing in 2017 is 248 people. The average salary is over 91 thousand rubles a month.

"They understand our problems"

ZGRP has established strong friendly relations with the local district administration, with which annual agreements on social and economic cooperation have been concluded for many years. Despite the fact that the main task of the enterprise is in the production process, part of the profit of the ZHF is directed to solving social problems of local residents. This made it possible to change the social and economic situation for the better. The head of the Bauntovsky district, Nikolai Kovalev, notes that since 2014, the district has been annually receiving gratuitous aid from the enterprise from 8 to 9 million rubles.

For the period from 2014 to the present, financial assistance has been provided to the Bauntovsky District in the amount of more than 34.5 million rubles. Other districts - more than 14.6 million rubles.

There are many positive aspects in the activities of the FGRP in our area. This is the employment of the population - with the arrival of the enterprise, official jobs appeared, - says the head of the district Nikolai Kovalev. - We have a remote and inaccessible area, it leaves its mark. It is good that a large enterprise has entered our territory, and its leaders understand the specifics of the region, problems and difficulties, and make a great contribution to raising the standard of living.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to the management of the Zabaikalsky Mining Enterprise. Thanks to their financial support, we are able to gradually solve many painful social issues, ”said Nikolai Kovalev, head of the Bauntovsky district, summing up the results.

A friend who always helps

Special attention is paid to the development of the reindeer husbandry industry. When members of the Taktykan family-clan Evenk community bought a herd of several dozen deer in the Trans-Baikal Territory, the question arose: how to drive the animals? The ZGRP came to the rescue, which allocated more than 100 thousand rubles. Let us also recall the Mordonov family (“IP” has already talked about these amazing people), which was able to leave the population of the “Taloy” enterprise. Especially for them, ZGRP bought 10 breeding deer in the Okinsky region. A winter camp with warehouses and a power plant was built for reindeer herders. Mordonovs were taken to the staff of the enterprise. The results were not long in coming - in 2017, the number of animals increased, 53 calves were born. The plans of the Mordonovs are to bring the herd of deer to 500 heads.

“The company constantly allocates funds for food for shepherds and the purchase of compound feed for reindeer in distant pastures located 200 kilometers or more from settlements,” said local resident Albina Nadmitova.

In the Evenk village of Rossoshino, which is located not far from the Kavoktinskoye field, the social infrastructure has been updated with the support of the ZGRP. The Rossoshinskaya kindergarten school has been renovated, the catering unit has been put in order, plastic windows have been installed, and the building is sheathed with metal profiles. The territory was ennobled, office equipment, furniture, etc. were purchased. The enterprise provides for annual support of the material and technical base of the institution in the amount of 500 thousand rubles. In 2016, assistance was also provided to the library - in the amount of 150 thousand rubles. The local house of culture received 150 thousand rubles, and the necessary camping equipment was purchased for the Dolgan children's speleological club. This year the pupils of the circle have planned an expedition to Lake Bount. 200 thousand rubles are provided for the implementation of the project.

This is a significant support, nevertheless, the revival and preservation of the culture of small peoples is an important and necessary goal, ”says Oksana Tsybikova, director of the Center for Evenk Culture.

“Thanks to the ZGRP, we were able to provide children with everything they needed and switch to federal state standards,” says Valentina Namsaraeva, director of the Rossoshinskaya school-garden MBOU.

Help is coming!

In the village of Bagdarin, ZGRP annually helps the unique Center of Evenk culture and national crafts. Funds are allocated for the repair of the building and the roof, heating systems, the company co-finances field events outside the republic. So, the children's ensemble "Hosinkan" annually travels to festivals in the cities of Russia and takes prizes.

In 2016-2017, we laid a separate line to strengthen and support the material and technical base of the Museum of the Peoples of the North of Buryatia. In total, in 2016, 300,000 rubles were allocated from the WGRP fund, in 2017 - 800,000 rubles. The heating system was repaired, a new boiler was installed. The plans for 2019 are the construction of an annex to the museum, '' said Olga Bakumenko, deputy head of the local administration for social affairs.

The mining enterprise annually allocates funds for the renovation of the premises of the only health camp "Voskhod" in the region. By joint efforts of the district administration and ZGRP, the camp is brought into compliance with the requirements of sanitary and fire safety. Funds are steadily allocated for the organization and holding of various events at the regional level: Surkharban, the Evenk holiday Bolder, fishing "Northern Hole", the holiday "Northern All-Around", etc.

According to the deputy head of the local administration for social issues Olga Bakumenko, in 2016 300 thousand rubles were allocated from the ZGRP fund, in 2017 - 800 thousand rubles. For these sums, the heating system was repaired, a new boiler was installed. The plans for 2019 are the construction of an additional room for the museum.

Roads and medicine

ZGRP is also involved in solving such important tasks as the repair and restoration of local roads and bridges. In 2017 and 2018, funds were allocated for the maintenance and repair of the local public road Baysa - Rossoshino in the amount of 1 million rubles. In addition, 250-300 thousand rubles are allocated annually for the repair of roads in the village of Rossoshino, said the head of the Bauntovsky district, Nikolai Kovalev. For intradistrict roads, compulsory filling is carried out. In 2016, 200 thousand rubles are provided for the funds of the geological fracturing. In 2017 - 500 thousand rubles, this year 100 thousand rubles are planned.

And together with the Bauntovskaya CRH and with the financial support of the ZGRP, it was decided to purchase dental equipment. This will allow residents of the Bauntovsky District to quickly and inexpensively solve the problem with dental treatment. Other projects are also being successfully implemented.

More than one million rubles are allocated annually for the repair of roads in the village of Rossoshino.

"Battle of Steel"

The management of the enterprise pays much attention to the support and development of local sports, martial arts. “Thanks to the support of ZGRP, our fighters Bazar Zhalsapov, Ayur Galsanov, Zandan Tsydenov, Anton Opanovich participate in professional MMA tournaments. This year our fighters took part in international professional tournaments and won everywhere! " - said the general director of the Baikal FC promotion company Anton Buseev.

According to him, on May 12 Ulan-Ude hosted an international professional MMA tournament "Steel Battle", dedicated to the 73rd anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. Last year, ZGRP helped prepare and send the national team of the republic to the Irkutsk region MMA championship among students, and then organized Semyon Borkhonov's departure to the Russian MMA championship.

“Thanks to ZGRP, we have one of the most equipped halls both in Buryatia and in the Irkutsk region. We train children, students, adults, ”says Anton Buseev, general director of the Baikal FC promotion company.

Production and school

Let's note one more important point. In Ulan-Ude, a unique enrichment jade plant, TD "Oriental Way", has been operating for several years now, which, together with ZGRP, constitutes the production chain: extraction, enrichment, processing and sale. That is what any serious business strives for.

According to the director of the factory, Valeriy Blyskavka, the extracted jade is very heterogeneous, the content of high-quality jade does not exceed 10, in some veins 15%. Moreover, high-quality jade is not separate pieces, it is smeared, it is located inside the enclosing rock with crusts, skarns and defects. And in order to isolate high-quality jade, production operations are needed to open the stone and enrich it.

Since 2014 and including the 1st quarter of 2018, Oriental Way Trading House has paid more than 106 million rubles in taxes and fees to the budgets of different levels. During the same period, the factory processed over 861 tons of jade.

By law, all mined jade must be balanced regardless of its quality. Low-quality jade needs to be processed / enriched in a civilized environment in order to significantly increase the volume of commercial jade that can be sold with added value. This is what the "Oriental Way" Trade House is engaged in, the factory of which now sells not only the crude jade purchased from the ZGRP, but also enriched jade and products of its own processing. The production capacity of the factory allows to process several hundred tons of jade annually.

The company employs about 50 people. Initially, the factory recruited local residents up to 25 years old. These were simple guys who wanted to learn the complex art of stonecutting. Experienced craftsmen from China were invited for training. Later, on the basis of the factory, a school was opened for training jade handlers from local youth.

In the near future, the Oriental Way management plans to open a new production facility on the basis of the Industrial Park of Buryatia. Thus, a national school of jade stone-cutting art will be established in the republic. However, it is still necessary to learn how to make art products, souvenirs, organize exhibitions, exchange experiences, create and shape traditions. All this is possible if production is expanded on the basis of small enterprises and family artels.

Over the years, ZGRP and Oriental Way have set an unusual precedent in the republic. Enterprises were able not only to bring jade out of the shadows and direct the flow of money from its sale into a legal channel with the payment of taxes and duties, but also raised the idea of ​​how to do business to a completely different level. After all, a big and smart business is not only the ability to gain profit with less losses, but also social responsibility to its employees and residents of the region.

28.12.2016 The history of the discovery of jade deposits in Buryatia

How Buryatia became a "jade storeroom"

The history of searches and finds of the most unusual stone in our area

Andrey Yan

Everyone knows that nature has endowed Buryatia with a storehouse of gems. But they only started talking about jade in recent years. And then in connection with sad events, most often of a criminal nature. Meanwhile, the history of the search and extraction of jade in our lands is very interesting.

A weapon of struggle for life

Among primitive people, jade was, along with silicon, a weapon in the struggle for life. In Buryatia and the Chita region, archaeologists have found jade tools of both the Bronze and Stone ages. From the end of the 19th century to the present, on the left bank of the Angara, from the Glazkovsky suburb of Irkutsk to the source of the Angara, along the banks of Lake Baikal, at the sites of ancient people, jade tools of hunting and labor have been found. This is because jade is twice as strong as steel, fragments of jade are very difficult to split into pieces. It is resistant to abrasion and acids. Over time, people learned to appreciate the beauty of the stone, which, after processing and polishing, became an ornament.

Bare feet in the rivers

Another feature of jade deposits is that they are difficult to find. Even modern geologists find jade deposits with great difficulty. To understand the secret of jade worship in China, you need to know the history and methods of its extraction. And he is unique. In ancient times, jade was apparently collected in mountain rivers after the spring melting of snow. They looked mainly in streams, as a rule, with bare feet, since the pebbles of this stone are too slippery and it is simply impossible to resist on them. In ancient times, it was mined mainly at the junction of three mountain systems - the Pamir, Tien Shan and Eastern Sayan Mountains. Unique jade deposits are located here for two thousand kilometers. From the primary deposits in the upper reaches of the Yarkand in the Pamirs, over five tons of jade were sent to the Chinese emperor until his son fell ill while resting in a bed of jade mined in Yarkand. Then the emperor of China forbade breaking a green stone in the gorges of Yarkand-Darya. I put them in chains and ordered them to throw a lump on the road to be sent to Beijing. And since then it was allowed to get jade only from the river: slaves and soldiers, standing waist-deep in water, had to intercept a stone rolling along the bottom and throw it ashore. As you can see, then the known deposits of jade were located in remote mountainous areas above two thousand meters. And since mountains among the eastern peoples are revered as sacred stairs connecting earth and sky, jade from mountain rivers was perceived as a gift from the gods. And in Transbaikalia, this stone is located within tectonic zones, where even with the most insignificant movements of the earth's crust, oval-shaped lumps are formed. They are very similar to river boulders.

First reserves

The jade deposits Khotan and Yarkand were considered protected and sacred areas. Jade itself is called "yu" in China. “Every year, when the fifth or sixth moon comes, the rivers overflow their banks and carry a lot of yu from the tops of the mountains, which is collected after the water has receded. It is forbidden for the people to approach the banks of the river until the Khotanese ruler comes up to make his choice ... From here the stone was sent to the court of the Chinese emperor, it was transported “along the sacred road guarded by the embassies. At special stations, each transport was received with oriental ceremonies ... "- described the historian and eyewitness Abel Remuza. Ospin-Dabanskoe jade deposit was considered the same reserved place. “Articles made of green jade from the Xiongnu burial grounds of the 1st millennium BC. - the beginning of the 1st millennium AD belong to the Sayan field, ”concluded Yu.O. Lipovsky in his book "To Khangai Behind the Fire Stone", talking about the search for jade in Mongolia. The laboratory analysis carried out in Irkutsk showed that the fragments of jade found in Mongolia are identical in chemical composition to the Sayan. And green and apple-green tones are typical for Ospin-Daban.

National Stone of Eternity

In ancient China, jade was valued so highly that plaques were made from it, which were in circulation along with coins. The Taoists looked for an elixir of immortality in him, they took it as medicine, the emperors slept on jade beds, he protected from the plague, they were rewarded for their heroic deeds. The ambassadors were presented with jade plates as credentials. Jade was used as a talisman for protection from evil forces and as a status symbol. Only the emperor could use objects made of the most valuable, white, "like lamb's fat", jade. “Gold has a price, but jade is priceless,” says an old Chinese proverb. The ruler of the Qing state, Prince Zhao, offered a "bundle" of 15 cities in exchange for the famous round Hu jade. It is not surprising that artistic stone carving is one of the first and most popular national crafts in China. Jade is incredibly difficult to process due to its strength. As a rather soft material, it allowed to embody any imagination of the creator. And thanks to its strength, the jade product is stored forever. In the old days, it could take several years to make one landscape composition. Therefore, it was believed that only a person with a pure soul and a strong will could work with jade. Indeed, in order to pore over one product for years, you need to have concentration and strength of courage, poise and accuracy. These human qualities, especially valued in China, were embodied by jade itself. It seems that the stone and the master understand and complement each other.

The image is hidden in the stone

The very work of a jade carver is the whole feature of Eastern culture. It was not the artist who invented the image, but the stone itself suggested to him the images hidden in itself. Therefore, the carver first studied the stone with which he had to work for a long time in order to deeply feel the material. For example, one of the court carvers of the Ming era, seeing the stone presented by the emperor, said that this jade hides the image of a carp splashing in the waters of the Heavenly Palace. When the artist finished his work, the sawdust left over from his work barely covered the coin. Imagine how long it took to make an ancient 6-meter high Buddha statue in China from white jade! Genghis Khan's personal seal was a jade figurine of a tiger. The imperial jade seal symbolized that power was given by Heaven. From the Mongol Yuan dynasty, there is a 3.5-ton jade jar, 493 cm in diameter, 70 cm in height and 55 cm in depth. It holds up to 3000 liters of wine. The grandson of Genghis Khan, Emperor Khubilai, treated him to wine. And this is the oldest jade product that has come down to us since that time intact. In the tomb of Tamerlane, the tombstone is made of dark green jade. It is the largest jade product of this color in the world, and the size of the boulder from which the tombstone was made was about 1.2 m long, 0.8 m wide and 0.5 m thick.

The first miners

Among the first Russian Cossacks who appeared in the Buryat lands was the Pentecostal of the Irkutsk and Tunkinsky forts Anisim Mikhalev. Rafting down the rivers, he discovered deposits of salt in Usolye, mica on Vitim, graphite, saltpeter and jade - “herbal stone,” as the Russians called it then. Moreover, jade and jadeite until 1863 were considered one mineral - jade. It is interesting that, in contrast to modern times, jade was imported to Russia from China until the middle of the 19th century. At this time, the Peterhof Lapidary Factory purchased dark green jade at a thousand rubles per pood, and for a better quality the price doubled. For emerald green jade, sometimes they paid up to 1,000 gold rubles per kilogram. In the 19th century, the government gave double the weight of silver for green jade. Information about the finds of jade boulders in the Sayan Mountains appeared in the 20s of the 19th century.

Love for the Sayans

Russian scientist Grigory Permikin, an official for special assignments in the search for colored stones, was especially fond of our mountains - the Eastern Sayan Mountains. “I knew how I knew my desk, with all the secret drawers,” he wrote about the Sayan Mountains. For 10 years Permikin, following the stories of Soyot hunters, explored the channels of the Kitoy, Onot, Urik, Belaya and Oka rivers and brought about 8 tons of jade boulders for the Peterhof Lapidary Factory. The jade boulders brought by Permikin were used to make decorations for palace buildings, as well as small handicrafts. So, since the middle of the 19th century, Eastern Siberia has become a large jade-bearing region of the world. It is no coincidence that in the 19th century, entrepreneurs began to obtain permits for the development of areas containing minerals. The development of boulder jade has intensified in the Eastern Sayan Mountains.

Under the sarcophagus

In 1895, the Chinese embassy presented Tsar Nicholas II with a field marshal's staff of jade in a gold frame. In 1896 geologist Leonard Yachevsky discovered a vein of jade in the valley of the Sayan river Khara-Zhelge. This professor was engaged in the search for jade deposits in the upper reaches of the Kitoy, Onot, Urik and Belaya rivers. On the bank of the Onot River near the "Terrible ford" he discovered a huge boulder, later named "the general's stone". It was planned for the manufacture of a sarcophagus for Alexander III. But the stone was rejected by the king's widow because of the too dark color of jade. Subsequently, this boulder was savagely destroyed by jade gatherers. Many poods of ornamental jade were taken out on a sleigh and sent to the Peterhof lapidary factory. Products of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory made of Sayan jade were demonstrated at world exhibitions in London and Paris in 1862 and 1867. Articles made of Sayan jade, dated to the middle of the 19th century, are still exhibited in many central Russian museums.

Dylachi predecessors

After Permikin, the monopoly right to the extraction of jade passed to the Werfel dynasty - the owners of the factory of stone-cutting and bronze-casting objects of art. The company performed a large number of stone-cutting works for the firm of the famous Carl Faberge. Werfel owned large reserves of jade in Russia, which, according to Fersman, he mined about 200 tons in 50 years. In 1907 the firm “Verfel E.F., Breitus L.A. and K ”takes a concession on the Khara-Zhelga River, where it extracts and exports up to 5 tons of jade. From 1908 to 1915, attracting the peasants of the village of Golumet, the same company exported more than 800 poods of stone from the rivers of the Smallpox and Kitoi systems. For 30 years of such activity, Werfel managed to accumulate and extract up to 3000 poods of stone. In 1900, the son of Alar taishi Batorov, a former confidant of the French merchant Aliber, was engaged in jade. He brought 800 kg of jade from the Sayan Mountains. Then the entrepreneur Popov took out about 500 - 550 kg of jade. In 1914, the Werfel factory became the property of the Fabergé firm.

Sold to Germany

In 1913 - 1914, in the system of the Ospa river, the Irkutsk mountain district made outlets in the amount of 6 mines, but the extraction was carried out only in 1916 and its size is unknown. Two Irkutsk entrepreneurs actively mined jade in those years: I.Ya. Schnelle and A.N. Kaidalov. The first in 1916 received 4 offsets along the Khara-Zhelga River and Kitoyu and mined 8500 poods of stone, part of which was sold to Germany. When two revolutions broke out in 1917, Schnelle was unable to take out the remains of the collected stone, Kaidalov took out one piece of jade weighing 160 pounds, and Schnelle in 1923 took out a boulder weighing 3 tons from the Kitoy river valley. In 1922, Kaidalov died in a train accident, and a piece of jade of rare beauty, the size of a fist, was found in his pocket.

Soviet geologists

When interest in ornamental and precious stones began to develop in the USSR, Soviet geologists began searching for jade. First of all, geologists followed in the footsteps of Permikin and paid special attention to the Eastern Sayan Mountains, where they found the largest jade boulders. Here searches were carried out along the banks of rivers such as Onot and Kitoy. There were stones with bright green, dark green, salad colors, and other shades. At the same time, geologists were engaged in the development of other deposits. In 1920 - 1930, former businessman Schnelle was engaged in jade as an employee of Burgosstroy. But there is no information about the amount of the stone he found and its implementation. In 1929, Schnelle discovered a primary deposit in the Bezymyanny Key, which flows into the Onot River.

First sale to China

1930 - the first sale to China, for which a large amount of jade is exported from the Eastern Sayan Mountains. But the Chinese take only 800 kg of the best stone. One boulder of jade weighing 800 kg, extracted from the Oka tributary, was sold. The Irkutsk Kraytorg tried to repeat this experience, but could not carry out the removal of the stone. 1937 - the Ospinskoye, Gorlykgolskoye, Zunospinskoye, Ulankhodinskoye deposits were discovered. In the Vitim basin and along its tributaries, the Paramskoye, Buromskoye and other deposits were explored. 1939 - the Russian Gems Trust exports 17 tons of jade collected earlier by the Irkutsk Kraipromsoyuz. Information about where this jade went has not been preserved. By the way, reviews about the activities of "Russian Gems" in the Eastern Sayan Mountains are far from positive. First of all, because they blasphemously used blasting operations in the extraction of jade.

Dzhida jade

The search for primary deposits of jade returned in the 1960s. Prospecting and appraisal work continued until the 90s of the XX century. On the basis of the Jade Party of the Irkutsk Geological Administration, an expedition "Baikalquartz Gems" was created, which until the end of the century was engaged in the search, exploration and extraction of many gems in Eastern Siberia, including jade. In 1965, Ulan-Khadinskoye was found, the first bedrock deposit of apple-green jade. Ravil Zamaletdinov, a graduate of the Mining and Metallurgical Institute, was appointed head of the Jade Party. While studying archival and fund materials, he got acquainted with the results of previous work on the study and extraction of jade. In 1974, an unusual boulder weighing about 1.5 tons was found in the upper reaches of the Khokhurty River, a tributary of the Dzhida River. The director of the Dzhida tungsten-molybdenum combine, the future speaker of the Khural, Mikhail Semyonov, in 1983 helped to take the unique boulder to the mineralogical museum in Irkutsk.

13 of 16 in Buryatia

In the 70s-90s of the XX century, geologists of "Baikalkvartszamotsvety" discovered deposits of light-colored apocarbonate nephrite in the new Vitim nephrite-bearing region. At present 16 jade deposits have been explored and evaluated in Russia. 13 of them are located in Buryatia. In terms of quality characteristics, the best of them are Kavoktinskoe, Golyubinskoe and Ospinskoe. Eight enterprises operate at nine jade deposits in Buryatia, in 2007 they extracted 909 tons of crude and 272 tons of high-quality jade. Almost 100% of the jade mined in Buryatia is exported to China without processing. Jade deposits are concentrated in five regions of Buryatia: Muisky, Bauntovsky, Zakamensky, Tunkinsky and Okinsky. In Mue and Bount, three deposits of white jade are known - the most scarce at the present time.

Reoriented to Russia

China used to buy jade from Burma. But the unstable political situation in this country has reduced supplies to almost zero. In addition, the main deposits of jade were under the control of various armed groups that constantly fought among themselves. The smuggling of jade from Myanmar faces execution. Therefore, large Chinese businessmen reoriented themselves to Russia, especially to Buryatia.

Interesting facts about jade

This stone has amazing viscosity and keeps heat for a very long time, so sometimes it was heated and used as a heating pad. Queen Victoria of England had a beautifully crafted jade scepter sent to her as a gift by the Chinese emperor. The medals for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are inlaid with jade. Jade is used to make stones to cool premium whiskey. Buryatia is not just rich in jade. This stone can be found here in all colors. There are jades from black to white, and with all shades - gray, green and blue.

Magic stone of Buryatia

The history of jade: from arrow to elixir of immortality

Leonid Actinov

Magic stone of Buryatia

"Inform Polis" continues the story about jade - a stone that has recently become one of the visiting cards of our republic. Let us remind you that in the previous issues of our newspaper we have already touched upon this topic. So, they talked about a modern mine in the famous Kavokta, where the Trans-Baikal mining enterprise is successfully operating, which finally was able to transfer the extraction of stone to a civilized channel. The readers were greatly interested in the information about the opening of a jade processing factory in Ulan-Ude on an industrial scale. Oriental Way products have already attracted the attention of foreign buyers, which indicates the great potential of this enterprise. Today we will touch on the history of jade. Despite the fact that almost every inhabitant of Buryatia has heard about this amazing stone, not everyone can explain what is the value of this mineral.

For arms and health

For a long time, people have noticed that jade river pebbles resemble a human kidney. Therefore, nephritis is believed to heal kidney disease and has medicinal properties. By the way, the word "jade" is just translated as "kidney" (Greek nephros). And ancient healers noticed that this stone keeps heat for a long time, so it was heated and used as a heating pad. Soon, people discovered another feature - the stone is able to withstand strong blows. Therefore, they began to use it for the manufacture of very durable weapons and tools.

Mark on history

When iron replaced the stone, they began to make jewelry and amulets from jade. For example, only figurines of gods were carved from white jade. In general, this stone has left a mark on the history of many nations. The Maori tribes made charms out of it; in the Middle East, they believed that jade could protect against lightning. In ancient Egypt, the mineral was considered one of the sacred stones. Turkish warriors decorated the handles of blades with a stone, believing that jade would bring them good luck in battle. The loss of such a weapon drove the Janissaries into despair. This is due to the legend of Alexander the Great. The commander allegedly did not part with the jade pendant, but one day he lost it on the banks of the Euphrates. After that, military luck left the Macedonian. By the way, another great commander, Genghis Khan, also respected jade - his personal seal was in the form of a jade figurine of a tiger.

Priceless mineral

Most of all, the stone is valued in the Celestial Empire, where it is considered "divine" and inextricably linked with Chinese culture. Jade is also called the national stone of China. There, for example, they believed that jade is a component of the elixir of immortality. Therefore, whole treatises were devoted to the mineral! The Chinese writer Siu-Chin attributed human dignity to jade: its brilliance was likened to compassion and kindness, firmness was compared to courage, and eternity with patience and endurance. Back in China, pillows were made from jade. But only members of the imperial family could put their heads on them. The mineral is considered royal! In ancient China, palaces were trimmed with stone, symbols of power were made of it. It was also used as a monetary unit, and the Chinese weighed gold exclusively with the help of jade weights. By the way, in the Celestial Empire the mineral was valued higher than the noble metal. There was even a proverb: "Gold has a price, jade is priceless" ... In Russia, jade became famous relatively recently, several centuries ago. At the Peterhof Lapidary Factory, magnificent decorative vases, bowls, figurines, writing instruments, cutting knives, ashtrays, brooches and bracelets were made from Chinese jade from the middle of the 19th century from East Sayan jade. Many jade items are kept in the State Hermitage Museum. By the way, interest in jade in our country arose after, in the 19th century, the Chinese embassy presented Tsar Nicholas II with a field marshal's staff made of jade in a gold frame. In the course of geological exploration, it was established that in Russia there are jade deposits in the Urals and in Siberia - in the basins of the Belaya and Kitoya rivers. The Kavoktinskoye field was discovered relatively recently, but it is the most valuable.

The magic of the white stone

One of the best varieties of jade is considered to be white. The same one that is mined at our Kavoktinskoye field. It is appreciated not only for its attractive appearance. There is an opinion that he is able to warm the soul and body. Many believe that it clears negativity, strengthens the spirit, gives calmness, influences thinking and helps in disputes. Well, in conclusion, a little astrology. Jade suits absolutely everyone. But most of all the sign of Libra (especially white). Red jade suits the sign of Virgo. Astrologers advise wearing blue and black jade for Cancers and Pisces. And Capricorn should pay attention to the green stone.

Reference: It is almost impossible to shatter a jade boulder. An example is known when a jade boulder was placed on an anvil under a steam hammer. After the impact, the anvil crumbled to pieces, and the stone remained unchanged. The secret of high strength lies in the structural features of the mineral. The thin weaves of the fibers make this mineral twice as strong as steel! And further. Jade is one of the few minerals that cannot be obtained artificially. Many people think that jade is only green or white. This is not true. The stone has many colors and shades. Jade can be light and bright green, emerald, gray, yellow, white and even black. There is also brown and blue jade. The rarest variety is red jade. There are few jade deposits in the world. There are deposits in China, India, Burma, New Zealand. Small deposits have been found in the Alps, USA and Canada.

Federal media named Buryatia as the main source of jade smuggling

Journalists learned how "green gold" from the republic is illegally flowing to China

Artemy Ivanov

Everyone knows that nature has endowed Buryatia with a storehouse of gems. But they started talking about jade only in recent years, and then - in connection with sad events, most often of a criminal nature. Another article dedicated to the fight against the smuggling of this valuable mineral was published on the eve of TASS. The publication notes: up to half of the jade in our country is mined illegally, and then transported to the Celestial Empire. The market of the Chinese resort of Beidaihe, popular among Russians, resembles the sea not only in size or the characteristic smells of algae and fresh fish, but also in rows of stalls filled with green, like waves, souvenirs from the "magic stone". Beads skillfully carved from it, Buddha figurines, busts of politicians and even huge vegetables are eagerly bought by both the Chinese themselves and Russian tourists.

Pantry "green gold"

Jade has always been prized in Asia. It was from him that the tombstone was made on the grave of the Turkic commander and conqueror Tamerlane. But a special attitude towards this mineral is in China. “Jade is one of the symbols of Chinese culture,” says Elena Imanakova, an art critic working in the PRC. - A wide color palette allows the carver to embody almost any ideas and images in this mineral. The stone used since the Neolithic period is still popular today. In China and the countries of Southeast Asia, it is called sacred or "green gold", attributing various, including mystical and healing, properties. According to Elena Imanakova, jade is "the intellectual anchor of Chinese culture in an actively globalizing world." The actual cost of its implementation in China can reach thousands of dollars per kilogram, depending on the quality. Every year China imports tons of "green gold", including from Russia. In our country, over 90% of the stocks of high-quality jade, including the most valuable kind - white, is concentrated in Buryatia. The republic is one of the three leading suppliers of minerals to the international market, TASS notes. Therefore, in 2012, the federal customs service of Russia made a decision: customs operations in relation to jade on the territory of the country are allowed to be performed only at the Ulan-Ude post. It is possible to export a stone from Russia only under a license. - According to the results of last year, the volume of jade through the Buryat customs amounted to about 254 tons, the total value of the goods - 8.3 million dollars, - the press service of the department told the publication.

“I don’t know if it will work out or not”

But not all jade is exported from Russia legally. A significant part of it goes through smuggling channels. So, in Buryatia in 2015, customs officers opened 51 administrative cases against people who illegally exported the mineral from Russia. Seized almost 150 kilograms, in the neighboring Trans-Baikal Territory - about half a ton. Smuggling of over 4.1 tons of jade has been stopped in the Far East since the beginning of the year. Five cases of administrative offenses and one criminal were initiated. In October, the Ussuriysk customs announced the seizure of 3.7 tons of jade worth about 700 thousand rubles in Primorye. Sacks with stones of gray, light green and brown shades were found during the inspection of transport en route to China without the permission of Rosprirodnadzor. Nevertheless, as emphasizes TASS, the source of smuggling in most cases is precisely Buryatia, where the jade business is one of the most criminalized areas. - Every year 1.6 thousand tons of jade are mined in the republic. This is about 100 million rubles of tax revenues to the regional budget, - the Minister of Natural Resources of Buryatia, Yuri Safyanov, told the publication. - Decriminalization of the jade industry, in my opinion, consists in the need to license those areas that are in the unallocated fund. Then each site will have an owner, and he will make sure that he does not have "black jade". The second step is to establish serious work of law enforcement agencies. Now, as I understand it, they took the third step when they tried to monopolize the industry. Rostec came to us, it took the largest deposits. Subsidiaries are trying to put things in order. I don't know if it will work out or not.

Crime Jade Chronicle

The news agency recalls the most notorious cases associated with the "war" for jade. Among them - a shootout in the Okinsky region between local prospectors and their competitors who came from the Irkutsk region. Then two people died. A year later, in August 2015, in the same Okinsky district, two dozen local residents attacked the base of a mining enterprise on the territory of the Ospinsky deposit. A firefight ensued with the guards, one of the attackers was killed. The Irkutsk media also associate the "jade" cases with the recent murder in Ulan-Ude of the Irkutsk lawyer Dmitry Vaskov. The pursuit of jade also leads to the fact that illegal miners risk their own lives, writes TASS. So, at the beginning of summer, six prospectors from Buryatia went missing in the taiga in the north of Transbaikalia, where they went in search of the coveted mineral. Later, four of them were rescued, the body of another was found by the police near the Vitim River, the sixth prospector is still wanted. The all-terrain vehicle in which the men rode through the forests was found in the Kalar River. Criminals are also at the stage of selling jade. In 2015, five men were arrested in Buryatia who attacked a businesswoman from China. She came to Ulan-Ude with a large sum of 28 million rubles to buy a large batch of the mineral. Her acquaintance helped to organize the crime. Together with accomplices, he arranged a meeting for the entrepreneur with a fictitious seller of jade. Their negotiations were interrupted by pseudo-policemen who decided to "detain" the seller. As a result, the woman lost her money. The press service of the Far Eastern Operational Customs notes that about half of Russian jade is mined in violation of the current legislation in the field of subsoil use in remote and remote areas of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. - All routes of illegal export of jade from Russia lead to China, where it is supplied in various ways. The illegal movement of the stone is carried out either by hiding it from customs control outside the checkpoints, or by providing invalid licenses or licenses obtained on the basis of forged documents, the department said. For example, in 2015, a resident of Blagoveshchensk was sentenced to four years in a colony in Buryatia. He was found guilty of smuggling two tons of jade. The man attached documents to the customs declarations on the purchase of a stone from an organization that has a license to mine it. Although, as it turned out, the extraction of jade was not carried out on it. In addition to such cases, violators also undervalue the mineral in order to avoid customs duties for its movement.

"Underground Jade Route"

There are many ways to smuggle jade. It is hidden in freight trains, for example, with coal, in bus cavities, in special hiding places in cars. In October last year, employees of the Far Eastern Operational Customs (DVOT) identified a jade supply channel organized by citizens of Russia and China. Then about 3.5 tons of a mineral worth almost 20 million rubles were found in the hold of a small vessel near the sea border with the DPRK. Tourists from the neighboring country are regularly detained there, who are trying to take out jade in their luggage. In China, the jade exchange is located in Donging County, Heilongjiang Province, on the border with Primorsky Krai. After the auctions, most of the jade is sent to the south of the PRC, where the main jewelry industries and the largest jade markets are located. It is for this reason that a significant part of the smuggling goes through the Far East, experts explain. According to representatives of the Chita customs, the smugglers are not only looking for new supply channels, but also improving ways of moving jade across the border. And the press service emphasizes that the ongoing illegal export of stone "poses a threat to the economic and environmental security of the country, negatively affects the development of domestic jewelry and undermines the competitiveness of Russian enterprises." Both the DVOT and the customs administrations of Siberia are taking comprehensive measures to identify and suppress smuggling channels. The success of this work is also indicated by the arrests of violators and the fact that illegal channels for the supply of jade are moving from the Far East to the territory of Kazakhstan. To eradicate "jade" crime, as noted by customs officials, is possible only by combining the efforts of law enforcement officers, authorities, business and the public. Note that jade has long been one of the visiting cards of our republic. "Inform Polis" also talked about a modern mine in the famous Kavokta, where the Trans-Baikal mining enterprise is successfully operating, which finally was able to transfer the extraction of stone to a civilized channel.

Head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Buryatia on jade: "All deposits have found their owner"

They want to take the extraction of stone in the republic under strict control Artemy Ivanov Head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Buryatia on jade: "All deposits have found their owner" Jade has long become one of the "calling cards" of Buryatia. But they started talking about him only in recent years, and then - in connection with sad events, most often - of a criminal orientation. So, at the end of October, the federal media called the republic the main source of smuggling of this valuable mineral and told how "green gold" from the region is illegally "flowing" to China. Today, they want to toughen the responsibility for illegal extraction and sale of stone. The corresponding draft federal law was discussed in mid-November in the Federation Council - at a meeting of the committee on agrarian and food policy and environmental management. Then one of the authors of the document - Senator from the Trans-Baikal Territory Stepan Zhiryakov - told the media that jade could be equated with amber. The history of the bill began back in 2012 with the legislative initiative of the Legislative Assembly of the Trans-Baikal Territory. Then there was a long correspondence with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia. The initiative of the Trans-Baikal deputies was supported by colleagues from Buryatia, as well as the leadership and law enforcement agencies of both regions. At the end of the year, the document is planned to be considered in the first reading. And if he is supported, then the punishment for illegal jade miners will be tougher. - In addition to imposing an administrative fine or the possibility of initiating a criminal case, this bill is about the confiscation of mining tools - excavators, bulldozers, machines - at the fields. This is a good step, and we hope that it will play its positive role, - said the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Buryatia, Yuri Safyanov, at a government briefing on December 12.

Jade Well

Recall that the redistribution of the jade market in Buryatia took place four years ago. Then the "mask shows" were held in the Ulan-Ude office and on the basis of the largest official earner "Dylachi" in the Bauntovsky district. The company was accused of embezzling 20 tons of the mineral and damaging the state in the amount of 600 million rubles. They seized equipment and more than a thousand tons of mined stone. On the territory of the republic, according to Yuri Safyanov, most of the explored Russian reserves of jade - 90% - are concentrated. The annual extraction of stone reaches one and a half thousand tons, and the volume of tax revenues from the organizations carrying out it is about 100 million rubles. Today the "jade market" of Buryatia was taken under tight control. - Three or four years ago we said that it is necessary to take some steps to decriminalize this industry. The first thing that was done by Rosnedra was that all the jade deposits in the republic found their owner and received licenses, ”the minister noted. - There are two left - they are located within the borders of the Tunkinsky National Park of federal significance. It is impossible to develop mineral deposits there. Work with the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been organized: posts have been set up in the hottest spots. Subsoil users themselves are interested in preventing theft. They actively cooperate with the internal affairs bodies, and here we are also trying to block illegal channels as much as possible. It should be noted that today there are 17 licenses for jade in Buryatia - in Bauntovsky, Muisky, Okinsky and Zakamensky districts. Last year, the enterprises mined a total of 1,630 tons of the mineral

Paralysis of the jade market: the state of the industry was discussed in the People's Khural, details

A working meeting was held in Buryatia to discuss the problems of the jade industry. There are enough problems in the industry - complicated legal relations, black diggers, problems with the sales market and with the quality of deposits. The jade industry does not yet bring such revenues to the budget as it could, why - in our material. The discussion of the state and prospects of the jade industry took place in the People's Khural of Buryatia on November 29. Anatoly Kushnarev, Chairman of the Committee on Economics and Nature Management of the National Agricultural Industry of the Republic of Bashkortostan, noted that all interested parties were invited to the working meeting - in addition to ministries and departments, representatives of all large jade mining enterprises of the republic. The situation in the mineral resource complex of the republic, Kushnarev recalled, passed during the last session of the parliament. “On the whole, the situation there is satisfactory, but we expect a decrease in the production of jade this year,” he said.

In Buryatia, back in 2009, a concept for the development of the jade industry was approved. It implied the creation of an interdepartmental republican commission to analyze the activities of mining organizations, the promotion of jade products produced in the republic on regional and foreign markets, the organization of a trading house for the sale of jade. However, for a long time, the main news from the jade sphere of the republic remained reports of criminal showdowns - the extraction of jade was often illegal and attempts to export the stone outside the republic and the country were regularly registered. In 2014, the value of illegal jade seized by Buryat customs officers amounted to 4.7 million rubles - 225 kilograms of jade were seized. In November 2015, Buryat customs officials, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB Department for the Republic of Belarus, suppressed the smuggling of 30 tons of jade worth 23 million rubles. A company from St. Petersburg, which extracts the mineral on the territory of the republic, tried to take out the jade.