Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company
A Russian diversified mining and metallurgical holding company and the country's second-largest copper producer.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, commonly known as UMMC or UGMK, is a Russian industrial holding company headquartered in Verkhnyaya Pyshma in Sverdlovsk Oblast. The group was assembled around the Uralelektromed joint-stock company in 1999 and developed into one of Russia's largest privately controlled producers of non-ferrous metals. Its core activities encompass mining, ore concentration, smelting, refining, metal processing and the production of related industrial materials. The company is described as Russia's second-largest copper producer. UMMC's operating footprint extends across numerous Russian regions and includes roughly 50 companies according to the cited reference material. Its principal industrial portfolio includes copper mines and smelters, zinc production, lead, precious metals, rolled non-ferrous products, copper powder and coal operations. Important mining and metallurgical assets named in reference material include Uralelektromed, the Mednogorsk Copper and Sulfur Plant, Svyatogor, the Sredneuralsk Copper Smelter, and the Gaisky and Uchaly mining and processing combines. The group has also held interests in the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant and controlled or invested in coal producer Kuzbassrazrezugol. Copper is the central product category. The supplied reference describes UMMC as producing approximately 40% of Russia's cathode copper and zinc output, about half of the country's lead output, approximately one-quarter of its non-ferrous rolled products for the domestic market, and more than half of the copper powder sold in the European market. These historical production-share figures are time-specific and should not be treated as current market shares without updated verification. Its output is directed toward industrial customers and includes copper concentrate, cathode copper, zinc ingots and alloys, lead, precious-metal-bearing products, rolled products and copper powder. Although metals remain the holding's strategic center, UMMC has operated a diversified portfolio. Reference material identifies interests in civil and industrial construction, agriculture, telecommunications, radio broadcasting and publishing. Its construction interests include the Yekaterinburg-City commercial district. UMMC-Agro has encompassed agricultural and food-processing businesses such as greenhouses, flour milling, dairy production and grain handling. UMMC Telecom has been associated with telecommunications and media assets, including the European Media Group and several Russian radio networks. The company has also played a substantial regional social and institutional role. Its activities have included support for healthcare, kindergartens, orphanages, veterans, retirees, sports and education in the Urals and other Russian regions. UMMC established or supported children's-health initiatives, including the Children of Russia project and a children's clinic, and operates the Technical University of UMMC near its headquarters. It has supported UMMC Ekaterinburg, a prominent Russian women's basketball club, and has participated in local infrastructure and municipal-finance initiatives. UMMC's expansion has involved major capital projects in mining, coal processing, smelting and steel. Examples in the supplied material include the Krasnobrodskaya-Koksovaya coal-processing plant, development of the Jubilee copper deposit in Bashkortostan, planned investment in a Tyumen steel mill, and a new copper-electrolysis product at Uralelektromed. The group has also pursued mineral licenses and exploration rights, including rights connected with the Yelanskoye and Yelkinskoye deposits in Voronezh Oblast. The company has attracted environmental opposition, particularly over proposed nickel mining and processing near the Khopyor River and the Khopyor Nature Reserve in Voronezh Oblast. Protesters, scientists and environmental groups raised concerns about effects on protected habitats and local communities, while the company and authorities faced criticism over the handling of demonstrations. UMMC has separately reported spending on environmental protection, including wastewater treatment, gas-control systems and air-pollution measures. Financial and ownership information for the privately controlled holding is limited in the supplied sources; a cited figure places 2022 revenue at 299 billion rubles.
History
UMMC was formed in 1999 around Uralelektromed, a major copper-processing enterprise in the Urals. Rather than developing as a single mine or smelter, it grew through the consolidation of mining, concentration, smelting, refining and manufacturing assets. This structure allowed the group to link ore production with downstream copper and zinc processing and to build a broad industrial platform under common ownership. During the 2000s and early 2010s, UMMC expanded its Russian resource base and industrial portfolio. Its mining and processing network came to include the Gaisky and Uchaly mining and processing combines, the Sredneuralsk Copper Smelter, Mednogorsk Copper and Sulfur Plant, Svyatogor and Uralelektromed. The company also developed interests beyond copper, including zinc, lead, precious metals, non-ferrous rolling, copper powder and coal. Its acquisition and investment strategy created a holding with operations distributed across multiple Russian regions. Coal became a significant adjacent business. In 2011, UMMC commissioned the Krasnobrodskaya-Koksovaya coal-processing plant, designed in the cited material to process approximately three million tonnes of coal annually. The group subsequently increased its position in Kuzbassrazrezugol; reference material states that UMMC held 51.018% of the company's ordinary shares on 29 December 2012 and later offered to purchase shares from minority investors. UMMC also considered or pursued steel expansion, including plans described in 2012 for a steel mill in the Tyumen region. The holding continued to invest in its copper chain. In 2012, the Mednogorsk Copper and Sulfur Plant was reported to have won exploration and mining rights related to the Yelanskoye and Yelkinskoye mineralizations in Voronezh Oblast. In 2013, Uralelektromed announced a new copper-electrolysis product, while UMMC began sinking work and infrastructure development for the Jubilee deposit in Bashkortostan. The reference material describes an expected annual copper yield of 2,625 tonnes from Jubilee after completion and planned investment exceeding 42 million US dollars; the timing and value are historical project estimates rather than current operating data. UMMC's diversification also reached construction, agriculture, telecommunications and media. Yekaterinburg-City, a commercial district near central Yekaterinburg, was constructed from 2006 and completed in 2015. UMMC-Agro brought together agricultural and food-processing operations. UMMC Telecom operated telecommunications and media interests and acquired European Media Group in May 2016. The latter's portfolio included several Russian radio networks and a publishing operation. Regional social policy became an important part of the group's public profile. UMMC supported schools and kindergartens, including an internet-connectivity program and donations for early-childhood facilities. It established the Children of Russia health initiative, supported a children's clinic, sponsored programs for orphans and vulnerable children, and provided assistance to veterans and retirees. The company also created or supported technical and international-transport education programs, including the Technical University of UMMC. Its sports involvement includes sponsorship of UMMC Ekaterinburg women's basketball. UMMC's regional role has also generated controversy. The proposed development of nickel deposits near the Khopyor River and the Khopyor Nature Reserve prompted sustained protests in 2013. Activists alleged that mining and a planned processing plant could damage sensitive habitats and threaten protected species. Protest camps and demonstrations were met with police intervention and, according to the supplied reference, an assault by private security personnel that injured protest leader Igor Zhitenev. Later that year, police detained two people in an alleged extortion case connected to the protest movement. These events form part of the public controversy surrounding the project, while UMMC separately reported environmental spending on wastewater, gas-control and air-pollution measures. The company is privately controlled and is associated in the cited material with principal owner Iskander Makhmudov and president and chief executive Andrei Kozitsin. The supplied Wikipedia reference identifies UMMC as Russia's second-largest copper producer and reports 2022 revenue of 299 billion rubles. A current assessment of production shares, ownership structure, operating assets and financial performance requires more recent company or regulatory disclosures.
- 2022
Reported revenue reaches 299 billion rubles
[1]The cited reference reports UMMC revenue of 299 billion rubles for 2022.
- 2016
European Media Group joins the wider holding
[1]UMMC Telecom acquires European Media Group and adds radio and publishing assets to its diversified portfolio.
- 2015
Yekaterinburg-City construction is completed
[1]The UMMC-linked commercial district near central Yekaterinburg is completed after construction beginning in 2006.
- 2013
Jubilee deposit development begins
[1]UMMC begins shaft-sinking and infrastructure work for the Jubilee copper deposit in Bashkortostan.
- 2012
UMMC increases its position in Kuzbassrazrezugol
[1]The group becomes the holder of 51.018% of Kuzbassrazrezugol's ordinary shares, according to the cited reference.
- 2012
Exploration rights are awarded for Voronezh mineralizations
[1]The Mednogorsk Copper and Sulfur Plant is reported to have won exploration and mining rights connected with the Yelanskoye and Yelkinskoye deposits.
- 2011
Krasnobrodskaya-Koksovaya coal plant is commissioned
[1]UMMC commissions a coal-processing facility reported to have annual processing capacity of about three million tonnes.
- 1999
UMMC is formed around Uralelektromed
[1]The holding company is established around the Uralelektromed joint-stock company and begins consolidating Russian mining and metallurgical assets.
Products and positioning
A vertically integrated Russian mining and metals group combining non-ferrous mining, smelting, refining, processing and diversified industrial holdings.
Copper
Copper concentrate and cathode copper
Copper is UMMC's principal product family. The group links mining and ore concentration with smelting, refining and electrolytic production. Its portfolio includes copper concentrate for downstream processing and refined cathode copper for industrial customers. The cited reference identifies UMMC as Russia's second-largest copper producer and historically attributes approximately 40% of Russian cathode-copper output to the group.
Non-ferrous metals
Zinc and zinc alloys
UMMC produces zinc ingots and zinc alloys through its non-ferrous metals operations, including its involvement with the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant. The cited material describes that plant as Russia's largest producer of high-grade zinc and zinc alloys and identifies zinc as one of UMMC's major output categories.
Non-ferrous and precious metals
Lead and precious-metal products
The group produces lead and precious-metal-bearing materials as part of its broader mining, smelting and refining portfolio. Historical reference material attributes approximately half of Russian lead production to UMMC, although current market shares are not established by the supplied sources.
Metal products
Non-ferrous rolled products
UMMC's downstream manufacturing activities include rolled non-ferrous products used in industrial applications. The supplied reference describes the group as producing roughly one-quarter of Russia's non-ferrous rolled products for the domestic market during the period covered by that material.
Specialty metal products
Copper powder
Copper powder is an additional processed-metal product in UMMC's portfolio. The reference material states that the group produced more than half of the copper powder sold in the European market, a historical share that requires updated verification.
Coal and energy minerals
Coal
Through coal-mining and processing interests, including Kuzbassrazrezugol and the Krasnobrodskaya-Koksovaya facility, UMMC has operated an energy-minerals business alongside its non-ferrous metals platform.
Controversies
2013
Khopyor River nickel-mining controversy
Proposed nickel mining and processing near the Khopyor River and Khopyor Nature Reserve triggered protests by residents, scientists and environmentalists. Opponents argued that the project threatened protected habitats and species and criticized the use of police and private security during demonstrations. The cited reference reports that protest leader Igor Zhitenev was beaten and seriously injured at a 2013 protest camp.
2013
Alleged extortion connected with environmental protests
Russian police detained two men reportedly linked to an environmental protest movement and accused them of seeking payment from UMMC in exchange for ending protests. The allegation is presented here as a reported law-enforcement case, not as a finding of guilt.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Children of Russia
Sverdlovsk Oblast · Russia
A UMMC social-health initiative focused on children with serious and multiple health disorders. The program was piloted in Sverdlovsk Oblast and complemented the group's children's clinic and wider support for vulnerable children.
Outcome. The program became part of UMMC's broader healthcare and community-support activities.
- 2013Kindergarten connectivity and support
Verkhnyaya Pyshma · Yekaterinburg area
UMMC Telecom was tasked with connecting kindergartens to the internet, while UMMC also provided financial support for kindergarten food and maintenance in Krasnouralsk.
Outcome. The initiative expanded educational and material support for early-childhood institutions in UMMC's operating region.
- 2013Heart to Heart and orphan-support programs
Urals · Siberia
UMMC supported orphanages and residential treatment centers through clothing, books, funds, medical treatment, educational courses and social-rehabilitation programs.
Outcome. The programs provided continuing material, educational and medical assistance to children without parental care.
- 2013Support for flood victims in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
UMMC donated equipment and other assistance to people affected by flooding in the Russian Far East.
Outcome. The cited material reports total assistance exceeding 900,000 US dollars.
- 2003UMMC Ekaterinburg women's basketball sponsorship
Russia · Europe
UMMC sponsors the Russian women's basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg, linking the corporate brand with elite sport and regional identity.
Outcome. The team won the European title in 2003.
Brand decisions
2016
Acquire European Media GroupM&ABackground
UMMC Telecom expanded the holding's non-metals portfolio into Russian radio broadcasting and publishing.
Action taken
UMMC Telecom acquired European Media Group from SBU Media Holdings.
Aftermath
The acquisition brought multiple radio networks and a publishing operation into the wider UMMC portfolio.
2013
Introduce a new copper-electrolysis product at UralelektromedProduct launchBackground
UMMC sought to deepen downstream processing within its copper value chain.
Action taken
Uralelektromed announced that it had begun producing a new copper-electrolysis product.
Aftermath
The announcement accompanied development work at the Jubilee copper deposit in Bashkortostan.
2013
Develop the Jubilee copper depositStrategyBackground
UMMC pursued additional copper resources to support its integrated mining and metallurgical system.
Action taken
The company began shaft sinking and planned utilities and power infrastructure for the future Jubilee site.
Aftermath
The reference projected annual production of 2,625 tonnes of copper and investment exceeding 42 million US dollars.
Planned investment. More than 42 million US dollars (Project plan reported in 2013)
2012
Increase control of KuzbassrazrezugolM&ABackground
UMMC expanded its coal interests through Kuzbassrazrezugol, a company controlled through UMMC Holding.
Action taken
The cited material states that UMMC held 51.018% of Kuzbassrazrezugol's ordinary shares on 29 December 2012.
Aftermath
UMMC subsequently made a buyback offer to minority shareholders.
Sources1 sources
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