The Russian army is approaching a coking coal mine west of the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Loss of control over the mine will lead to serious losses for the economy of Ukraine.
The head of the Association of Metallurgists of Ukraine Oleksandr Kalenkov told Reuters about this.
According to him, the capture by the occupiers of the Pokrovsk mine, which is the only Ukrainian source of coking coal, will lead to a reduction in steel production.
“We could produce up to 7.5 million metric tons of steel by the end of the year, and next year we forecast production to grow to more than 10 million. But if we lose Pokrovsk, then... we will drop to 2-3 million tons," explained Kalenkov.
In a comment for "Society.Donbas" Kalenkov stressed that the coal mined near Pokrovsk is unique — it can only be replaced by imports.
The head of the “Ukrkoks” coke chemical association Anatoliy Starovoyt added that in 2023, Ukraine produced about 3.5 million tons of coke. For this purpose, exclusively Pokrovsky coking coal was used.
Regarding imports, Ukraine has several deep-water ports on the Black Sea, but they are designed for export. Therefore, it will be difficult for metallurgists to import large volumes of coal. In addition, it will increase the cost of metallurgy. Alternative sources of coking coal supply are the United States and African countries, particularly South Africa.
Over 4.3 million tons of rolled metal were produced in Ukraine in January-August 2024, of which 66% were exported. According to the trade union of metallurgists, EU countries accounted for 72% of the export volume.
Pokrovsk Mine Management, established in 1990, is the largest coking coal mining enterprise in Ukraine and one of the largest in Eastern Europe. Industrial coal reserves are more than 200 million tons, and the development period is more than 40 years. Coal production for 2023 was 5.6 million tons.
The situation in Pokrovsk
The Pokrovsky direction is one of the hottest on the front, dozens of clashes take place there every day. The head of the Pokrovsk city administration Serhiy Dobryak said on August 18 that the Russians were 11 kilometers away from Pokrovsk. Because of this, a forced evacuation of the population was announced there.
The situation at the front as of October 16.
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According to information from the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, as of September, the Russians had not advanced even a meter in the Pokrovsk direction.
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