Society

At the beginning of April, the International Friendship Club “Gornyak” traditionally holds its interethnic festival at the Mining Multifunctional Complex. This year, the event brought together 800 participants from 15 countries around the world. It united representatives of the republics of the Russian Federation—Dagestan, Tatarstan, and Bashkortostan—as well as participants from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, India, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, Tanzania, Belarus, and the countries of Latin America.

Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University cooperates with colleagues from the Islamic Republic across a dozen areas. These include general academic internships for students, “summer schools” and programs devoted to the study of culture and history, joint cross-publication of scholarly articles, and regular seminars.

Today, a major research project is being carried out in the Komi Republic, within the Timan-Pechora oil and gas province: the drilling of ultra-deep wells with a planned bottom-hole depth of at least 2,000 metres below the Devonian deposits. The project was initiated by Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. Its objective is to study thermodynamic processes in the Earth’s crust beneath the Devonian deposits.

Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University is conducting a comprehensive research programme to study the deep structures of the Earth, including field research in the Komi Republic.

The delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University has returned from the International Internship “Scientific and Technological Development in the Field of Energy Security,” held at Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT) in China.

Despite the Western initiative to phase out fossil fuels, coal remains a strategic asset for the financial and industrial security of many countries. China’s open-pit coal mines are among the most sought-after destinations for international specialists in the mineral resources sector. For them, seeing first-hand the technologies used to develop deposits in the world’s leading coal-producing country is far more significant than simply visiting the Great Wall of China or the Forbidden City.

China ranks first in the world in coal production by a huge margin. In 2025, output reached a record 4.83 billion tonnes. Coal remains China’s main source of energy, covering more than half — according to some data, around 60% — of the country’s electricity needs.

Diplomas were awarded at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University to the first graduates of the international MBA educational program “Management of Subsoil Use Facilities.” The project participants are middle- and senior-level executives of government bodies, sectoral companies, and scientific and educational institutions of the mineral resources complex from countries of the African continent.

The international Summer Schools have concluded at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. This is already the eighth season in the history of the project, which is addressed to future specialists of the mineral resources complex. Such a format allows for the organic combination of academic knowledge, real-world production practice, recreation, and an introduction to the rich culture of the Northern Capital. The program is overseen by the International Competence Centre under the auspices of UNESCO.

The main skill that a geologist must acquire during training is the ability to work in field conditions. The current third-year students gained their first such experience during an educational and introductory internship after their first year at geological sites in the Leningrad Region. After their second year, they mastered the profession of ”Worker in geological works of the 2nd category” by performing educational tasks at the training ground in Crimea.