REUTERS
Ukrainian budget funds for the purchase of anthracite coal from the mines located in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation are beyond access of the illegal military groups, and used only in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv said during the government's Q&A at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Friday.
Answering the question of Ukrainian MP Semen Semenchenko about the alleged conclusions made by the SBU Security Service of Ukraine on the use of budgetary funds by militants, Kubiv said that the militants had no access to a single kopiyka of the budget funds.
According to Kubiv, suppliers of coal from mines located in the ATO zone adhere to all norms of the Ukrainian legislation.
"Everything that is done to provide our energy industry [with resources] is in line with the laws of Ukraine... Certain regulations that relate to procedures and controls by the Security Service of Ukraine correspond to the actions and activities of the service," Kubiv said.
Read alsoEnergy sector to be plugged in reformAs UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine started experiencing an acute shortage of coal in the summer of 2014, when, as a result of hostilities, the government completely lost control of part of Donbas, where the majority of the coal mines were located.
In September 2016, Ukraine's Energy Minister Ihor Nasalyk said Ukraine could do without any coal supplies from the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone if it increases consumption of gas coal instead of deficit grade of anthracite coal, of which the reserves are located mainly in the occupied territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.