Salt war in Ukraine: three years after the loss of Soledar, the country remains dependent on imports

The importance of salt and the loss of Artemszil

Salt is not only a basic element of everyday life, but is also indispensable for the food industry, the chemical industry and the transport infrastructure. It also has symbolic significance in Ukrainian culture: “bread and salt” is a symbol of hospitality, and the former salt trade routes are part of the country’s historical identity.

Ukraine has formally estimated salt resources of 16 billion tons, but the vast majority of this is inaccessible or cannot be economically extracted. Before the war, the Artemszil in Solidarno provided all domestic consumption and a significant part of exports: in 2021, it shipped nearly 1.9 million tons, making it one of the largest producers in Europe. However, the plant’s failure after 2022 shocked the market, and the country suddenly became dependent on imports.

Transcarpathia took center stage

After the loss of Artemszil, the center of gravity of the salt industry shifted to Transcarpathia and Ivano-Frankivsk region. The Talaborfalu mine, with its 15.5 million tons of reserves, would be a world-class project, even covering the hundreds of thousands of tons of technical salt needed for winter road maintenance. However, production stopped completely in early 2025 due to investor disputes.

Attention is now focused on the Dolina deposit, where it is planned to produce 15 thousand tons of salt per year, reducing costs with local energy. However, this is dwarfed by Artemszil’s previous capacities, and actual production is currently below 10,000 tons.