Russian

Historic Highlights:

2001 * President of ALROSA Vyacheslav A. Shtyrov named 'Honorary Citizen of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)' on January 6. ALROSA received the Russian National Olympus Award for outstanding social and economic achievements in March.
2000 * ALROSA's diamond output increased by $428 million compared to 1993.

* The Nyurba GOK (Integrated Mining and Concentrating Plant) was established in the Nakynskoye field to carry on capital construction, preparatory operations and other mining activities and begin commercial diamond production.

* A new branch - Brillianty ALROSA Diamond Manufacturing Company - was established.

* The Almazny Dvor Trade and Exhibition Center opened in November.

* ALROSA took an active part in disaster relief operations in the flooded city of Lensk from May to October.

1999 * The Internationalnaya underground mine and ALROSA's Nyurba pilot processing factory were put into operation on August 13-14.

* The Anabar GOK (Integrated Mining and Processing Plant) was established to take over the former Anabar placer.

1998 * On March 28, President Boris N. Yeltsin signed the Law "On Precious Metals and Stones" - a document of vital importance for ALROSA.

* ALROSA's trading agreement with De Beers was extended for another three years in November.

* ALROSA took part in disaster relief efforts following the flood in Lensk.

1997 *  ALROSA's Corporate Code regulating business relationships between the company's divisions and affiliates came into effect on January 1.

* Trial operation started at the processing facility at the Catoca deposit in Angola on July 31,and the first diamonds were produced shortly after.

* The company's diamond sales totaled $ 1,315.4 million in 1997 to place ALROSA among the leading Russian diamond producers in terms of earnings.

* The first and second phases of the processing plant at the Yubileinaya (Jubilee) Pipe were put into operation.

* ALROSA and De Beers signed a trade agreement in Moscow.

1996 *  The United Selling Organization of ALROSA (USO ALROSA) was established on January 18.

* The Nyurbinskaya Pipe was discovered on January 28.

* The Diamond Chamber of the Russian Federation was established on April 29.

* Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II and President of Sakha (Yakutia) M. Nikolaev visited the Diamond Province from July 22-23, to participate in the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of a Russian orthodox church in Mirny and the commissioning of Factory No 14 in Aikhal.

1995 * ALROSA received a prestigious international award - 'Torch of Birmingham' - for economic survival and successful development in difficult conditions.

* Victor S. Chernomyrdin, Chairman of the Russian Government, was present at the official ceremony dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Mirny and the diamond industry on July 15.

* The branch of the Yakutsk State University named after M.K. Ammosov was opened in Mirny on October 1.

* Vyacheslav A. Shtyrov was elected President of ALROSA Joint Stock Company in August.

1994 * The Botuobinskaya kimberlite pipe was discovered on March 29.
1993 * Yakutalmaz was liquidated as a state company on January 1. Its successor - Almazy Rossii  Sakha (ALROSA), based in Mirny - opened new offices in Moscow and Yakutsk.

* A 73.95-carat gem quality diamond recovered in the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe in July was named 'People's Artist Evgueni Leonov'.

* Andrei D. Kirillin was elected President of the company on August 17.

1992 * The founding meeting of Almazy Rossii - Sakha (ALROSA) Joint Stock Company took place in Yakutsk on July 25. It adopted the company's Charter and appointed the Supervisory Council and the Auditing Committee. The meeting elected Valeri V. Rudakov President of the company and Andrei D. Kirillin and Lev A. Safonov First Vice Presidents. Lev A. Safonov was also appointed General Director.

* The company was registered by the Mirny Council of People's Deputies on August 13.

* The company was comprised of the Yakutalmaz Production and Research Association and the newly established Moscow companies Diamond Center and Almazexport.

1991 * The Mirny mine was re-organized into the Mirny Integrated Mining and Processing Plant on July 5.

* A 242-carat diamond was recovered in September. Christened 'Free Russia', it was presented to Boris N. Yeltsin.

* Lev A. Safonov was appointed General Director of PNO Yakutalmaz.

* The USSR signed a trade agreement with De Beers worth $ 1 billion against a pledge of diamonds from Gokhran (the USSR State Treasury).

1987 * Yakutalmaz was re-organized into the Yakutsk Diamond Production and Research Association (PNO). A construction and installation division, Yakutalmazstroy, was set up within its structure in February, following the instructions of the USSR Ministry of Non-ferrous Metallurgy.

* On September 18, Udachny acquired the status of a town: its population totaled 20,000 inhabitants.

1986 * In April, the Historical and Industrial Museum was inaugurated in Mirny.

* In July, a new reconstruction phase began at the Mirny open pit, in order to increase the open mining depth from the designed 464 meters to 525 meters.

* The Aikhal GOK (Integrated Mining and Processing Plant) was established on August 2.

* A group of engineers were awarded the 1986 State Prize for 'Developing and introducing a fundamentally new technology for enrichment of Yakut diamond-bearing ore with a new X-ray-luminescence separation method and the development of the system of automatic separators, as well as launching commercial production of these separators'.

* The development of the Yubileinaya (Jubilee) Pipe started and construction of Factory No 14 began.

1985 * Stripping began at the Taiozhnaya diamond deposit and Udachnaya placer.
1984 * Design, construction and installation activities were carried out to launch a pilot plant at the Anabar placer, which soon yielded its first diamonds.
1983 * Vladimir B. Piskunov was appointed General Director of Yakutalmaz.
1980 * The teams of Factory No 3 recovered a 342-carat diamond - the largest find at the time. The diamond was christened 'The 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union'.
1979 *  The Udachny mine was re-organized into the Udachny Integrated Mining and Processing Plant in February. The first batch of powerful 120-ton Kamatsu dump trucks started operating at the Udachnaya pit.
1978 * The second phase of Processing Factory № 12 of the Udachny Integrated Mining and Processing Plant was put into operation in June.

* The motorway connecting Udachny, Chernyshevsky, Mirny and Lensk opened for traffic.

* Valeri V. Rudakov was appointed General Director of Yakutalmaz on November 14.

1977 * The Mir pit reached a depth of 23.5m by January 1. The Almaz Leisure and Entertainment Centre with a seating capacity of 800 people was commissioned in Mirny; a school for 640 students and a kindergarten for 185 children were built in Udachny.
1976 * The first phase of Processing Factory № 12 was commissioned on February 18 and the first pilot facility at the Udachny Integrated Mining and Processing Plant was put into service in September.

* A powerful bucket excavator, EKG- 1 2.5, was brought to the Udachnaya open pit mine in October. It was the first machine of its kind to be used in the East of the country.

* Mine construction started at the Internationalnaya Pipe in June.

1975 *  On March 13, A team of geologists (I.Ya. Bogatykh, V.I. Lugovskoy, V.P. Roshchin, etc.) discovered the Yubileinaya (Jubilee) Pipe in the vicinity of Aikhal.
1974 * On May 18, Processing Factory № 11 accepted the first ore from the Udachnaya (Lucky Strike) kimberlite pipe and began year-round operation.

* The first 10-story building was erected in Mirny.

1973 *  A 239.05-carat diamond - the largest at the time - was recovered at Factory № 3 on August 9 and given the name 'The Star of Yakutia'.

* A vocational school opened in Mirny and a new leisure centre 'Russia' was inaugurated in Aikhal.

1972

A branch of Yakutniproalmaz Institute was opened in Yakutsk.
VTO Soyuzpromexport began negotiations on its first medium-term (3 years) trade agreement with De Beers.
Diamond shipments began under trade agreements with De Beers.

1970 * Yakutalmaz was awarded the Lenin Certificate of Merit for outstanding performance.

* The second phase of Factory № 8 was launched in Aikhal. Several Yakutalmaz engineers and scientists won the Lenin Prize for outstanding achievements in diamond production and the development and introduction of new mining and processing technologies.

* The town of Mirny was awarded the Red Banner of Labour after it successfully met its five-year plan targets in diamond production.

1969 * On August 1, Yakutalmaz and Aikhalalmaz were integrated into a single production association - Yakutalmaz based in Mirny. Lev L. Soldatov was appointed Director of the new entity.

* The Internatzionalnaya (International) Pipe was discovered in the vicinity of Mirny.

* A new carat automatic mining and transportation management system was installed at the Mir mine.

1968

A 62.2-carat gem diamond was named '50th Anniversary of Soviet Yakutia' just a few days before the Republic's anniversary in July.

1967

In January, the Udachny mine was set up and the construction of Factory № 11 began. The new facility started to process rock mass from the Udachnaya Pipe in August.
On April 10, 1967, Yakutalmaz was re-structured and two new integrated mining and processing facilities - Yakutalmaz and Aikhalalmaz – were established.
The first phase of the Vilyui hydro-electric plant began

1966

On May 16, Yakutalmaz was awarded the Lenin Order for outstanding achievements in diamond production.
On October 21, Factory № 3 was commissioned by the State Acceptance Committee and became leader of the Russian diamond industry for the following decade.

1965 <hr>
<ul>
<li> Yakutalmaz fulfilled the seven-year diamond production plan ahead of schedule by January 20. Russia mined 16.9 times as many rough diamonds as it did in 1958.
<br>

</ul>

1964

In May, Factory № 8 was launched in Aikhal.

1962

The first AN-24 aircraft landed at the airport of Mirny.
In June, Mukhtuya workers' village changed its name to Lensk and acquired the status of a town subordinate to the district authorities. In August, Processing Factory № 7 was put into operation as a test ground for research projects.

1961

The Aikhal mine was set up and the construction of Processing Factory № 8 started in January. The Factory produced its first diamonds in August. At the end of January the Factory began processing the rock mass from the Mir Pipe.
Factory № 5 was put into operation.

1960

The first stone school building was constructed in Mirny and foundations for the first four-story stone residential blocks were laid in Leningradsky Prospect.

1959

On January 1, the population of Mirny was 5,025 people. On April 3, Mirny acquired the official status of a town, directly subordinate to the republican authorities.
The Botuobinskaya geological exploration expedition was established.
The USSR sold its first 13,000-carat lot of Yakut diamonds on the world market.
Dredge № 201 (a floating concentrating factory) produced diamonds beginning in October.

1958

Workers from the central and southern regions of Yakutia arrived in Mirny. Processing Factory № 4 and № 2 were operational in July and September, respectively.
Manufacturing of Yakut diamonds started at the Sverdlovsk cutting factory.

1957

On January 4, the Board of the USSR Ministry of Non-ferrous Metallurgy adopted the resolution "On Industrial Development of the Vilyui Diamond Deposits" which provided for the construction of diamond mining and processing facilities in the vicinity of the Mir Pipe and the Khabardin Valley and Irelyakh River alluvial placers. The Yakutalmaz Trust, with Victor Tikhonov as its Directo,r was established to manage the construction activities.

1955

Discovery of the Mir (Peace) Pipe.
Discovery of the Udachnaya (Lucky Strike) Pipe.

1954

Discovery of the Zarnitsa (Lightning) Pipe- the first kimberlite deposit in Russia.