OREANDA-NEWS  Pavel Marinychev, the head of Alrosa, told at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the company's preparations for the transition to underground diamond mining due to the depletion of light reserves, the Mir-Glubokoe mine will become the flagship mine, which will ensure Alrosa's leadership until 2070.

"The reality is that light diamonds have already run out, Vladimir Vladimirovich, and all deposits need to go underground in order to extract them, from quarries to underground mining... Of course, the flagship here is the Mir–Glubokoe project, which will allow us to maintain our unconditional leadership over the long horizon. If we talk about this particular project, then this is the horizon until 2070," he said.

According to the head of the company, Alrosa is preparing all the documentation and surveys in order to start work as soon as the macro indicators allow.

In April, the company announced that it would allow the start of major operations at the Mir-Gluboky mine in Yakutia in 2027, the decision will depend on the economic situation.

Alrosa has completed preparatory drilling and other preliminary work at the Mir Glubokiy mine in Yakutia, Marinychev told RIA Novosti in an interview last September at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).