Krivelj

Krivelj exists because copper deposits attracted extraction regardless of human cost. The village sits beside the Veliki Krivelj open-pit mine in the Bor District, where mining began in the 1970s under Yugoslav socialism. Sulphur dioxide concentrations became so extreme that they burned holes in women's nylon stockings. Standards improved, but production quadrupled after China's Zijin Mining Group acquired 67% ownership in 2018.

The approximately 1,300 residents are predominantly Vlach—an Indigenous ethnic minority who consider government tolerance of mining impacts a form of discrimination. Company-commissioned studies confirm heavy metal pollution in the local river, with elevated lead, arsenic, and cadmium in soil. In January 2024, two dozen women began maintaining round-the-clock bridge blockades to protest encroaching mine expansion. When supplies of diesel and explosives couldn't reach the mine, Zijin temporarily suspended production—rare leverage for a community facing industrial displacement.

Villagers report they have only 20 minutes to evacuate if the tailings dam fails—with no warning sirens installed. The expansion of Veliki Krivelj surface mine requires complete village relocation, scheduled for completion by end of 2025. Zijin claims commitment to 'transparency and fairness' in relocation planning, but trust has eroded through decades of pollution and government indifference.

Krivelj represents Europe's sacrifice zone for China's copper needs—Zijin becoming the continent's second-largest copper producer while an Indigenous community faces expulsion. In 2026, the village's trajectory is binary: either Krivelj ceases to exist as residents relocate to accept compensation packages, or continued resistance delays extraction until the economics shift. The women on the bridge are fighting for something beyond negotiation—recognition that their presence ever mattered.