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Miners’ Union: over half of the mines in Ukraine do not work

Article by: Anastasiya Moskvychova
Translated by: Mariya Shcherbinina
Kyiv – Over 80 coal mines are not functional in Donbas, seven of which are flooded already and another ten are being flooded at this time. According to the Independent Miners’ Union, coal is being accumulated on the territories under terrorist control, however, it cannot be transported even to the nearby thermal power plants. Meanwhile experts advise to take advantage of the coal crisis and use it to switch to other energy sources, and finally ‘lift up’ the miners from the earth. 

Over 40% of the industrial potential in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts has been destroyed as a result of combat, stated Petro Poroshenko during his visit to Lviv oblast. The coal industry is in a particularly difficult situation. The mines are being flooded due to danger of explosion caused by lack of electricity.

Throughout September, Ukraine has extracted half as much coal as it did during the same time last year, reports UNIAN citing the Trade Union of the Coal Mining Industry.

Out of 136 Ukrainian coal mines, about fifty are active today, 10 of which are in Dnipropetrovsk oblast and 10 in the Lviv-Volyn basin, however the main fuel for the thermal stations that use coal, anthracite, is extracted in Donbas, notes head of the Independent Coal Miners’ Union Mykhaylo Voronets.

“In Luhansk oblast, two coal mines work in the town of Lysychansk, eleven mines work in the town of Sverdlovsk and Rovenky, and another three work for the Pervomayskvuhillya union. And in Donetsk oblast, there are five active mines in the town of Dobropillya, in Krasnoarmiysk there are four, and five mines from Selydivvuhillya. Besides, the Krasnolymansk mine is now trying to start working, as well as the Zasyadko mine – from time to time, and another private mine in Krasnoarmiysk vuhillya works, though it belongs to a Russian oligarch,” says he.

Besides, according to the chairman of the miners’ union, the state cannot receive part of the fuel extracted earlier which had been paid for in advance. In particular, as Volynets notes, eleven DTEK mines, which are part of the finance-industrial union belonging to Rinat Akhmetov, started working at half-force in Luhansk oblast, as they are unable to export the fuel they’d extracted to the thermal power plant in Shchastya because of the ruined railways.

53 mines are on territories under separatist control. This was stated by the first deputy to the Minister for Energy Yury Ziukov, repots the ministry’s press service. According to him, almost ninety thousand miners may be left without work, as Ukraine is ready to only pay for the coal which is offloaded and used to satisfy the needs of Ukrainian energy.

Novak: the crisis in the East is a chance to reduce the subsidized coal industry

Even before combat, about one-third of mines in the region were unprofitable, this year the state approved a partial compensation for 14 billion UAH, says director of the analytics department of one of investment companies, Concorde Capital, Oleksandr Parashchiy. According to him, up to 180 thousand miners work for such mines.

The crisis in the East is a chance to reduce the coal industry, which is less needed in the 21st century, and “lift up the miners from the earth” by giving a different job, for example, employ them to rebuild the region, head of the Economists’ Committee of Ukraine Andriy Novak is convinced. To his mind, Ukraine should develop a long-term strategy.

“If we are to talk about the fastest alternative, for example, starting next year, it is nuclear energy, we don’t have a different alternative so far. Well, much slower, but just as effective, are renewable energy sources, however, it is a strategy issue, once again,” the economist thinks.

The government earlier talked about the intention to increase coal extraction from mines in Lviv oblast and Volyn and partially transition thermal power plants to using heavy oil and imported coal.

Translated by: Mariya Shcherbinina
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March 10: Pro-Russian collaborators have managed to create 3 “powerful tactical groups.

Le 10 mars – "Lors des dernières 24 heures, neuf soldats ont été blessés dans la zone de l'opération antiterroriste, aucune perte." – le porte-parole de l'ATO, Andriy Lyssenko.

Le 10 mars – Pendant la "trêve", les forces militaires russes et les collaborateurs pro-russes ont réussi à créer des "groupes tactiques de choc" dans les régions suivantes:

le Nord – en direction de Donetsk,

la zone côtière – en direction de Marioupol,

Louhansk – en direction du nord de la région.

En fait, ils ont réussi à créer une armée à partir de groupes criminels disparates.

Le 10 mars – Les analystes américains du Bureau Strafor estiment que la Russie peut continuer à soutenir les terroristes du Donbass et occuper toute la rive gauche de l'Ukraine.

Le 10 mars – "Le Tribunal international de La Haye pourrait etudier "la question de la Crimée", alors que toutes les différences entre la Russie et l'UE devraient être traitées en vertu du droit international." – déclaration du ministre des Affaires étrangères d'Espagne, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo lors d'une conférence de presse après sa rencontre avec le ministre des Affaires étrangères de la Federation de Russie, Sergueï Lavrov.

Le 10 mars – "Les militants terroristes continuent à détruire systématiquement le Donbass. Près du village d'Orikhove (district de Popasna, région de Louhansk), des inconnus ont fait sauter un pont de chemin de fer." – le porte-parole de l'ATO, Andriy Lyssenko.

Le 10 mars – Le ministre des Affaires étrangères d'Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin a déclaré que les militants terroristes ne permettent pas à l'OSCE de surveiller le processus du retrait de leurs armes lourdes.

Le 10 mars – Le dollar est tombé à 21,7 hryvnias ukrainiennes.

Le 10 mars – Lors d'une conversation téléphonique avec le président français, François Hollande, le président de l'Ukraine, Petro Porochenko a déclaré qu'il n'y avait aucun progrès en ce qui concerne les négociations sur la libération de tous les otages, y compris Nadia Savtchenko.

P.S.: Faîtes circuler cet appel, SVP!

March 6: Moscow will not support the mission of peacekeeping forces to Ukraine

March 7 – 1541 Ukrainian military have died during the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine, – said Yuriy Segeyev,Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations.

March 7 – 500 bodies of local residents were found in the basements of apartment buildings in Debaltseve. These people were killed by Russian artillery, used to invade the city. At that point all escape routes were blocked by the Russians, – stated United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.

March 7 – Last night powerful signals intelligence systems were installed along the border with Kharkiv oblast (on the Russian side), said the Ukrainian MP and member of parliamentary committee on National Security and Defence Andriy Levus.

March 7 – The US has suspended its project on providing training to Ukrainian military. The administration in Washington would like to first observe how the parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine will respect the ceasefire. Under the proposed project, a battalion of American soldiers could train three battalions of Ukrainian military.

March 7 – Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of Russian State Duma Alexei Pushkov believes that if the key to peace in Donbas could be in the EU influencing the US to refrain from providing Ukraine with weapons. Whereas Russia, of course, will continue to regularly provide weapons to its troops and pro-Russian militants in Donbas. THEN the peace will come. Peace Russian-style.

March 7 – Sooner or later the sanctions against Russia will continue, but at present this issue is not on the agenda, – said Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius.

March 7 – Another "humanitarian aid convoy" broke into Ukraine – on personal instructions from Putin. More weapons and soldiers were delivered.

March 7 – Construction of new NATO bases in Europe is not being considered at the moment, – said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Lubomír Zaorálek. Instead, the Baltic States and Poland are insisting to increase the number of NATO exercises due to the escalation of the situation around Ukraine. The US has initiated Atlantic Resolve program, aimed at consolidating its military presence in Europe. According to Internet media DefenceNews, official Washington is considering systematic use of military ranges in Czech Republic, Hungary and Georgia for the abovementioned exercises.

March 6 – Russia thretened USA that it would begin an attack on Kyiv in case there is a supply of arms to Ukraine. This was stated by the people's deputy, a member of the Collegium of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Anton Herashchenko, on the air of the program Shuster Live, reported RBK-Ukraina. "I was in Washington, and met with certain groups of analysts, and posed to them one question: "Why is President Obama so insistently refusing to undertake the decision, already ratified by Congress, on provioding weapons to Ukraine. I was told that Putin warned President Obama and his advisers that if the United States provides arms to Ukraine, then Putin will dare to attack Kyiv from all fronts," stated Herashchenko. Let us remember that on the day before, 8 Congress members appealed to Obama to hurry in providing Ukraine with weapons. In its turn, Russia urged Ukraine and the United Staets to "consider the consequences" of army collaboration. On March 4th, the State Department stated that Obama had until now still not made a decision about providing Ukraine with weapons.

March 6 – No Ukrainian military were killed and 4 were injured in the last 24 hours in the ATO area, informed NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

March 6 – Pro-Russian militants are withdrawing insignificant numbers of artillery weapons from the boundary line in Donbas, however are accumulating forces in the "near front-line" areas, informed the organiser of "Information resistance" group Dmytro Tymchuk.

March 6 – A group of American congressmen representing both Democratic and Republican parties have once again urged the US President Barack Obama to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons. But Obama is still "contemplating"...

March 6 – Russian gold reserves continue to decrease. The volume of international (gold) reserves of Russia on March 1stamounted to 360.2 billion USD. In February it was at 376.2 billion USD (minimum value since the beginning of 2007). Russia's reserves decreased by 16 billion USD in one month. War is expensive.

March 6 – Official exchange rate of UAH to USD is now less than 23 UAH per 1 USD. On Friday, March 6th, National Bank of Ukraine has established the exchange rate of 22,8970 UAH per 1 USD.

March 6 – Another explosion has happened in Kharkiv – this time a minibus belonging to volunteer battalion commander of "Slobozhanshchyna" Battalion Andriy Yangolenko was blown up. A Russian mine was planted in the car.

March 6 – Donetsk separatist Andrey Purgin, a self-professed speaker of "Donetsk People's Republic" has requested that the Speaker of Ukrainian Parliament Volodymyr Groysman meets with "DPR" delegation to discuss amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine. As it has been reported, 11th provision of implementation plan of Minsk agreements implies "decentralization (while taking into account certain characteristics of identified rayons of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which have been agreed upon with the representatives of these rayons), as well as adopting a law on special status of the identified rayons of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts."

March 6 – The value of assets of the Armed-Sea Forces of Ukraine (ASFU) captured by Russia in Crimea is estimated at a minimum of 1 billion 495 million Ukrainian hryvni. Until the moment when in June 2014, Russia unilaterally ceased all negotiations about the return of weapons, supplies, and wealth of the ASFU, Russia succeeded in removing from Crimea:

Combat ships – 3 units;

Security vessels – 32 units;

Automobiles, armored tanks,and specialized tanks – 1,438 units;

Flying apparatus (airplanes and helicopters) – 24 units.

Left in Crimea were:

Combat ships and patrol boats – 11 units;

Ships and security patrol boats – 6 units;

Automobiles, armored tanks,and specialized tanks – 2,363 units;

Flying apparatus – 3 units;

Coastal anti-ship complexes – 6 units.

March 5 – 1 Ukrainian military was killed and 1 wounded in Donbas in the last 24 hours, – informed acting spokesman of the General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces Vladyslav Seleznyov.

March 5 – In Crimea, Russian authorities are questioning the participants of the II All-Crimean Conference of the Committee on protecting the rights of Crimean Tatar people, – informed on his Facebook page Committee Chairman and Majlis member, Eskender Bariev.

March 5 – "Authorities" of the occupied Crimea have refused to investigate the murder of Crimean Tatar Mr.Ametov. They have killed Crimean Tatars in the past and will continue killing them in the future.

March 5 – Nadiya Savchenko, who was on hunger strike for 83 days, has agreed to stop. "I am learning to change my tactics. Yes, physically I feel lousy, but not bad enough to have to die right now. So for some time I will be drinking broth – if I have to live, I will fly, if I have to die, I will die healthy", – she wrote.

March 5 – Moscow will not support the mission of peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, if such a proposal is submitted to UN Security Council, – said Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov

March 5 – The number of cases of unjustified detention of citizens of Ukraine has increased in Russia, – statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

March 5 – "Large numbers" of Russian soldiers are dying in eastern Ukraine, where for almost a year pro-Russian separatists have been fighting against the Ukrainian government, – stated NATO Deputy Secretary General of NATO Alexander Vershbow, reports Agence France Presse.

March 5 – In Luhansk oblast Ukrainian Armed Forces have withdrawn its rocket and artillery batteries according to Minsk agreements (including multiple rocket launcher systems BM-21 "Grad").

March 5 – RF President Volodymyr Putin wants to destroy NATO. This was stated by the Commander of U.S. Ground Forces in Europe, General-Lieutenant Ben Hodges, reports The Telegraph. "I am convinced that Putin wants to detroy our alliance, not by attacking it but by splitting it up," he noted. Hodges also commented that Russia may attempt to to destabilize one of the members of NATO by the use of partisans or other forms of 'hybrid war'. He also urged that American tanks be placed in countries along the eastern wing of NATO, in terms of stopping that factor for Putin. Specifically, according to Hodges, he proposed to place tanks in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Rumania, and Bulgaria.

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La Fondation Robert Schuman – Russia, Ukraine and International Law

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