Kyiv: Russia has exported $4.7 billion worth of coal from Donbas
Since the beginning of the military conflict in the Donbas, about 68 million tons of coal of various grades were exported from the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions which are not under Ukraine’s control, reported the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, citing data from the Eastern Human Rights Group.
It is emphasized that during this period almost 68 million tons of coal of various brands worth approximately 4.7 billion U.S. dollars were exported to Russia from the uncontrolled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
It is indicated that since 2015, 236 miners have died at the official mines in so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics and even more than half a thousand were seriously injured.
The Ukrainian news outlet LIGA.net, citing a study by a major Ukrainian energy company, reported that coal mined in the territory of Donbass, which is not under the control of Ukraine, is supplied by Russia to 19 countries.
It is noted that the main consumers of Donbass anthracite are Europe and Turkey. Previously, only Poland and Turkey were accused of buying this coal. In addition, coal is shipped to Georgia, Egypt and Canada.
According to the Russian Railways and the Federal Customs Service, about 1.3 million tons of anthracite were exported from DPR and LPR to Russia in 2015, and 940,000 tons in 2016. In the first nine months of 2017, coal imports from the Donbas amounted to 890,000 tons. And these are only the volumes that are officially included in the statistics of Russian railway traffic.