The story of Rem Karpov dates back to a time when Soviet-Cuban friendship was just beginning, and the first Soviet specialists were sent to the revolutionary country to help develop its mineral resources. It was in the early hours of May 2, 1961, at 3 a.m., when a group of Soviet mining experts was greeted at Havana Airport by none other than Ernesto Che Guevara himself.
Honored Geologist of the Russian Federation, Rem Vasilyevich, was a true hero of his era. Although his Western-sounding name is actually an abbreviation from the Soviet era, "Revolution, Engels, Marx," he humorously decoded it as "Revolution, Electrification, Mechanization." Born in 1930, Rem entered the Leningrad Mining Institute in 1947, but he fell ill with tuberculosis during his first year. After a year in hospitals and sanatoriums, he recovered and returned to his studies. By 1959, he not only completed his specialist degree with honors but also graduated from the institute’s postgraduate program. Alongside his studies, the newly qualified mining engineer gained practical experience as the senior geologist of the Monchegorsk geological exploration team.
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In 1961, Karpov was already recognized as a solid specialist in nickel deposits, working as a senior engineer for non-ferrous and rare metals at the North-West Territorial Geological Administration under the Main Geology Department of the RSFSR. He compiled a 1:10,000 scale geological map of the Pechenga nickel-bearing region and worked closely with the research and design institute "Gipronikel."
When the USSR Ministry of Geology requested engineers capable of restoring Cuba's nickel industry, the management decided to send the young, promising Rem Karpov. The order from Moscow arrived on April 12, the same day the entire country was celebrating Yuri Gagarin's successful space flight. Karpov's supervisor approached him, saying, "You won’t be going to space, but you will go to Cuba!" Alongside Karpov, several others from Norilsk were sent as part of the "Tyazhpromexport" program.
Their mission was to restore operations at two nickel facilities—Nicaro and Moa—which had previously been owned by Americans. At Nicaro’s "Mina de Ocujal" mine, ore was extracted and processed with ammonia into a concentrate of iron, manganese, nickel, and cobalt, which was then shipped to the United States for steel alloying. The more modern Moa plant used sulfuric acid processing technology. After the Cuban Revolution, when Cubans demanded that the U.S. pay market prices for nickel concentrate, the Americans halted production and the supply of necessary reagents, leaving the plant and returning to their homeland.
Soon, all enterprises on the Island of Freedom were nationalized. Cubans were ready to take over operations, but they lacked qualified personnel. Without a geological service, they couldn’t begin work—no one locally had the skills to read plans, blueprints, or sampling tables.
So they turned to the “Sovietico” for help. The USSR agreed to supply ammonia and sulfuric acid and to send specialists to organize the production process. As a result, two tankers began transporting ammonia across the ocean weekly from Ilyichevsk to Nicaro.
In exchange for this support, Cuba could only pay in sugar and lateritic nickel ores. Although these ores were of a lower quality compared to those from Norilsk, Pechenga, and Monchegorsk (with Soviet ores yielding 99.99% pure nickel, while Cuban ores provided just 20%), the decision to assist was purely political and non-negotiable.
The Republic sent one specialist per plant in each area—mining engineer, geologist, surveyor, and mineral processing expert. Karpoff had to single-handedly become the missing geological service at Nicaro. Before his departure, he was tasked with analyzing existing documentation, developing an efficient mine development plan, and implementing it.
The journey was far from simple, involving a route through Czechoslovakia. Emerging after a 16-hour flight from peaceful Prague to Havana, where tension was palpable, and immediately encountering Che Guevara with a massive ten-shot revolver holstered at his side—it’s hard to imagine the engineers' emotions.
«He held the position of Minister of Industry in Cuba, essentially the 'second man' in the young nation. These were the days when Fidel Castro first declared the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, and within 36 hours, more than a thousand mercenaries invading Playa Girón were decisively defeated and captured. Despite the immense demands on his time, Che Guevara met us and spent nearly five hours in the airport's arrival hall, waiting for officials," Rém Vasilyevich recalled in his memoirs, First Soviet Geologist in Nicaro (1961-1962).». – «His appearance was striking, particularly his intense, piercing black eyes and neatly fitting field uniform. He resembled a hero from our Civil War, like Kotovsky, Shchors, or even Bat’ko Makhno in films. And yet he had a kind, shy smile—a genuine joy at meeting Soviet people».
Karpoff had to communicate frequently with Che, thoroughly and on practical matters. For instance, after the arrival of the Soviet geologists, the two of them traveled to Nicaro, where Rem Vasilyevich would work. At a meeting, the comandante introduced him to the foremen and workers, instructing them to strictly follow his directives. According to the geologist, the Cubans held Che in immense respect as Fidel's closest comrade. Whenever he appeared in public, a crowd would inevitably gather, leading to a spontaneous rally with cries of "Venceremos!" and "Patria o muerte!"
At the "Mina de Ocujal" mine, Karpoff was responsible for directing where to extract raw materials based on real-time chemical analyses. Additionally, his task involved selecting a massive, representative sample of over 10,000 tons of ore for further research in the Soviet Union.
«It was necessary to identify sections and blend ore that was extremely variable in composition (nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron, chromium, and other elements), color, looseness, moisture, and other parameters to precisely represent the average composition of the ore. I spent five months on this, successfully shipping it home on a cargo ship», - recalled the scientist.
As a result, he managed to ensure the extraction of ore mass suitable for leaching technology. Excavators started working at the facility, regular ammonia shipments arrived from Illichivsk to Nicaro by tanker, and geological documentation and chemical laboratory operations were restored.
Nicaro and Moa began successfully producing nickel concentrate, with each Soviet specialist on the team contributing to this achievement.
Che understood the critical importance of the mineral resource sector for his country's economy. He visited the facility several times to assess the work's efficiency, meeting with Karpoff and his colleagues. Once, he spent an entire day with them, inspecting all 12 excavation sites where ore was extracted and sorted. He showed interest in the lives of his Soviet guests, taking joy in their progress with the Spanish language.
On another occasion, the comandante stopped by specifically to congratulate the Soviet engineers on November 7, suggesting they celebrate the day by climbing Pico Turquino, the highest peak in Cuba's Sierra Maestra, as Cubans do for significant family or public events.
Exactly a year later, the contract ended, and Rem Vasilyevich returned home. This assignment gave his career an excellent boost. Over the next decade, he served as the chief geologist of the Kola District Geological Exploration Administration, leading exploration for base, precious, and rare metals, mica, apatite, and semi-precious stones across the peninsula.
From 1975 to 1979, Karpoff worked as a UN economic geology expert in the Kingdom of Nepal and led a group of Soviet geologists in Angola. In the early 1980s, he became the Deputy Head of the Department for the Prospective Development of Geological Exploration at the Ministry of Geology of the USSR.
In 1989, Rem Vasilyevich was offered the position of Deputy Director at the Main Scientific Research and Information Computing Center (Main NII Center) of the Ministry of Natural Resources. This was a new field in which no one in the country was yet involved. Computers were just beginning to appear in Russia, and the concept of integrating IT into natural resource management or creating specialized software was hardly considered. To gain expertise, Karpoff visited the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
In 1998, Rem Vasilyevich was awarded the honorary title of “Honored Geologist of the Russian Federation.”
Despite the many countries where the mining engineer had worked, Cuba always remained the most memorable and important to him. His last visit to the Island of Freedom was at the end of 1987, but this time as the Chair of the Soviet-Cuban Commission on Cooperation in the Study of Cuba's Natural Resources, including oil, gas, nickel, copper, and other minerals.
Today, nickel ore extraction and nickel concentrate production are among the most important sectors of the republic's economy. Three large nickel processing plants, built or modernized with the direct participation of Soviet engineers, are operational in the country. One of them, "Comandante René Ramos Latour," is located near the deposit in Nicaro, where more than 60 years ago, Rem Karpoff showed local revolutionaries where to find nickel ore.
This article was prepared using materials from Rem Karpoff and Mikhail Gavrilov.
