A Russian university, in collaboration with a subsidiary of Russian nuclear conglomerate Rosatom's fuel branch TVEL, has produced the first beryllium specimen in Russia, the university's vice-chancellor for science and innovations said Friday.

"We have produced the first bar of the first beryllium specimen in Russia. This year we are planning to enhance the technology and make [production] cheaper," Alexander Dyachenko from Russia's Tomsk Polytechnic University told RIA Novosti.

According to Dyachenko, industrial extraction of beryllium in Russia could start as early as 2020.

Beryllium is a relatively rare element commonly used in the production of aircraft components, missiles, spacecraft and satellites. To date, only the United States, China and Kazakhstan extract commercial quantities of beryllium.