Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, Russian copper and zinc producer, and Andrey Kozitsyn, its long-time former chief, have reunited at the top: registry filings show Kozitsyn resumed the CEO role on July 3, 2025, three years after stepping down ahead of his EU designation in 2022. The leadership change follows a 2024 EU General Court ruling that annulled an act maintaining his listing, even as UMMC and Russian metals face continuing U.S. restrictions.   
Sanctions timeline and corporate governance
Kozitsyn led UMMC for two decades until July 2022, when he left days before the EU added him to its sanctions list; the company said the move aimed to avoid indirect application of measures to group entities. From July 22, 2022, through July 2, 2025, entrepreneur Elfart Ismagilov served as CEO. The EU General Court in September 2024 annulled one of the acts maintaining Kozitsyn’s listing, a development followed by his reinstatement as chief executive this month. U.S. authorities, however, designated UMMC in July 2023 as part of a broader Russia metals package, underscoring that the company still operates under Western sanctions constraints.
Operational footprint and portfolio
UMMC is a pillar of Russia’s non-ferrous sector, described domestically as the country’s largest zinc producer and the second-largest copper supplier after Nornickel. Its network spans mining, smelting and refining—most prominently via Uralelectromed near Yekaterinburg—feeding domestic and regional markets. Western venue restrictions remain relevant: the London Metal Exchange has flagged limitations on placing UMMC-branded metal on warrant unless owners can evidence compliance with sanctions regimes, a factor that can complicate trading and liquidity for some brands.
What changes under Kozitsyn’s return
The near-term task list is likely to include navigating the split sanctions picture across jurisdictions, preserving sales channels, and aligning product flows with evolving trade routes. U.S. measures—paired with EU/UK actions toward the Russian metals complex—have reshaped logistics and financing over the past two years. Kozitsyn’s reappointment may steady internal decision-making at a time when costs, equipment sourcing and export pathways have all been in flux for Russian producers. Market watchers will look for signs of any adjustment to customer mix, hedging policy and brand strategy at overseas exchanges.
Company Background and Market Context
Founded in the late 1990s, Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company was built by Kozitsyn alongside partner Iskander Makhmudov into a diversified group spanning copper, zinc and precious metals. Russian business press characterises UMMC as a top domestic supplier whose scale gives it leverage in feedstock sourcing and smelting capacity utilisation. The leadership reset comes as Russian mining firms adapt to equipment import substitution, re-routing exports toward Asia and the Middle East, and dealing with exchange-level restrictions in Western markets.
Copper, central to UMMC’s portfolio, has been trading near $9,800 per tonne on the LME in late July, with price formation fractured by policy moves, including a forthcoming U.S. copper import tariff that has widened the COMEX–LME premium. Zinc, UMMC’s other mainstay, is near $2,800 per tonne. Elevated but volatile pricing improves smelter margins if units can secure stable concentrate supply and market access, but sanctions-related frictions and exchange branding rules remain material variables.
