WAYS FOR MINING COMPANIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA’S METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY

Authors:

O.M. Andryushenkova1, V.A. Andryushenkov2
1 Empress Catherine II Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Saint-Petersburg, 199106, Russian Federation
2 First Law Collegea LLC, Saint-Petersburg, 196066, Russian Federation e-mail: andryushenkova_om@mail.ru
Authors Information
Andryushenkova O.M. – PhD (Law), Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Industrial Economics of the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, 199106, Russian Federation, e-mail: andryushenkova_om@mail.ru
Andryushenkov V.A. – PhD (Law), Associate Professor, Director of the First Law Collegea LLC, Saint-Petersburg, 196066, Russian Federation, e-mail: andriushenkov-va@mail.ru

UDC: 622.291/.001.3 c O.M. Andryushenkova1, V.A. Andryushenkov2, 2026 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18796/0041-5790-2026-6-9-13

Abstract

The Ulug-Khem coal basin is located in the east of Southern Siberia, which is interregional in terms of reserves of raw materials and transportation possibilities, providing for the needs of Tuva, Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia. It is one of the top 10 largest deposits in Russia, and can be considered as a storehouse of anthracite to ensure national energy security. Therefore, on Victory Day, the 81st anniversary of the national holiday, it is appropriate to turn to the history of the coal basin, the collective past of Tuvan workers, in 1941-1945 who demonstrated unity in the fight against the Nazi invaders. Already on June 22, 1941, when the Fatherland was treacherously attacked, the Small Hural of the Tuvan People’s Republic adopted a Declaration of Allied Support for the USSR, and on June 25 declared war on Nazi Germany, making every possible contribution to achieving Victory over the enemy. The participation of Tuvans in the Great Patriotic War, who fought in the ranks of the Red Army, led to the realization of a common fate with the peoples of the USSR, and on August 17, 1944, the Declaration on the Entry of the Tuvan People’s Republic into the Soviet Union was adopted. The incorporation of the republic into the RSFSR opened up an opportunity for the development of industry, the energy basis of which is the Ulug-Khem coal basin The paper focuses on the transition from ad hoc decisions to a systematic regulatory model, which allowed the monarchy to combine the use of private capital and technical expertise whilst maintaining the priority of the state interests and the right to unilaterally amend or revoke the granted privileges. Particular attention is given to reconstruction of the concept proposed by General Mining Director K.A. von Schemberg, aimed at the large-scale transfer of state-owned operations to private companies, as well as to analyzing the causes and consequences of closing these projects down and their subsequent returning to the state management. The findings help to clarify the role of early mining and metallurgical companies in the evolution of the Russian mining law and provide a basis to compare historical forms of public-private cooperation with modern regulatory models for the raw materials sector. The study examines the mechanisms for risk sharing between the state and entrepreneurs, regulations on using the registered population, control over the wine trade and customs practices, as well as the sanction procedures in cases of financial insolvency and abuse. The conclusion is drawn that the boundary between the state and the private sector in the mining and metallurgical industry of the middle of the 18th Century was extremely blurred, and that the legal regime governing the private companies was subject to the reasons of political expediency and the fiscal interests of the empire.

Keywords: Private mining and metallurgical companies, 18th-century mining legislation, public-private partnership (history), legal regime of subsoil use, state-owned (crown) plants, K.A. von Shemberg, fiscal policy, history of Russian metallurgy.

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For citation

Andryushenkova O.M., Andryushenkov V.A. Ways for mining companies to participate in the development of Russia’s metallurgical industry in the first half of the 18th Century.Ugol’. 2026;(6):9-13. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.18796/0041-5790-2026-6-9-13.

Paper Info
Received: April 28, 2026
Reviewed: May 18, 2026
Accepted: May 30, 2026