ZAO ALROSA is Russia’s diamond monopoly; the original name of the corporation is Almazi Rossii-Sakha (Diamonds of RussiaSakha). The company is jointly headquartered in the Sakha town of Mirny and Moscow. It accounts for nearly half of Sakha’s budget revenues. ALROSA mines annually produce about one-quarter of the world’s diamonds. During the 1990s, ALROSA sold most of its rough diamonds through the South Africa–based De Beers diamond concern; however, a ruling by the European Commission forced the relationship to cease by 2009. ALROSA has since expanded its own marketing efforts.
See also Arkhangelsk Oblast.
Historical Dictionary of the Russian Federation. Robert A. Saunders and Vlad Strukov. 2010.