We are now approaching the end of 2020, the year that brought the coronavirus pandemic into our lives. This calamity has shattered the lives of many people and brought about observation units, mechanical lung ventilation, face masks, on-line work and studies. Businesses had to take tremendous care to protect the health of their employees and incurred other additional costs. Some regions have introduced lockdowns. Office workers have switched to the so-called «work from home».
However, despite the pandemic, the mining industry is up and running, recovering the mineral resources and developing the coal and ore deposits in Tuva, Buryatia, and Yakutia. Oil and gas workers are moving further north, developing the offshore fields in ever more difficult geographical and geological conditions, while cancellation of the tax incentives for the development of complex fields by the State Duma may cause the closure of hundreds of wells accompanied by the loss of jobs. In spite of all the challenges, Minister Alexander Novak, who is now а Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, managed to defend the interests of the Russian mining industry. read more...