REUTERS
This may be re-export from Russia, the official said.
Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk says coal Ukraine bought from Belarus in 2018 was not mined in Russian-occupied Donbas, the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic ("DPR") and Luhansk People's Republic ("LPR"), which are controlled by Russian proxy forces.
Read alsoBelarus reportedly sells coal from Russian-occupied Donbas to Ukraine – media
"This may be re-export [of coal] from Russia. But one thing I can say for sure it is not from [the Russian-puppet] 'DPR' and 'LPR.' At one time, we had a closed meeting with representatives of the ministry and power generation companies. It was clearly stated there that 'if someone buys this type of coal – and it is very easy to establish from which mine it comes – a boycott will be announced [against such actions] not only by the ministry, but all concerned parties, including power generating companies," he told journalists on February 26.
RFE/RL's Belarusian service earlier published an article claiming that Ukraine last year boosted imports of anthracite coal from Belarus, which is not mined there, by hundreds of times.
The publication suggested the coal imported from Belarus was mined in the occupied territories of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.