A Ukrainian coal mine in the frontline city of Pokrovsk suspended production as Russian troops close in on the key logistics hub, Reuters reported Monday, citing two industry sources.
“They have all stopped working now,” one of the unnamed sources was quoted as saying, referring to mine shafts in Pokrovsk.
“There’s no production there, they’re only working on the surface,” the second source said, adding that an evacuation of the mining facility was underway.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier on Monday that its troops seized the village of Pishchane, around 8 kilometers (5 miles) southwest of Pokrovsk.
Ukraine’s largest steel producer Metinvest announced last month that it suspended operations at its production site in Pishchane, which provided around half of Metinvest's total Ukrainian coal extraction. Metinvest also owns the mining facility in Pokrovsk.
Pishchane was strategically important as it supplied Ukraine’s metallurgical sector with a special type of coking coal, which is a key component in steelmaking. Metal exports are Ukraine’s second-largest foreign currency earner after agriculture.
Metinvest has not yet commented on the halted production in Pokrovsk.
Russian forces have been edging toward Ukraine’s key eastern hub of Pokrovsk since the summer of 2024. The fall of Pokrovsk to Russia threatens Ukraine’s defense along the entire frontline in the partially occupied Donetsk region.
AFP contributed reporting.
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