REUTERS
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has enacted a February 16 decision by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on urgent measures to neutralize threats to Ukraine's energy security and protect critical infrastructure; one of the measures is a halt to anthracite exports.
The NSDC was enacted by presidential order No. 37/2017, which shall become effective since the day of its publication.
"The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine shall immediately take comprehensive measures to diversify sources of coal shipments to Ukraine and create a reserve of energy coal, simultaneously suspending anthracite exports from Ukraine for a certain period until the crisis in the energy sector is over," the document said.
The government was also instructed to take comprehensive measures to neutralize threats to Ukraine's energy security.
"The National Police of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, the SBU Security Service of Ukraine shall ensure security and prevent attempts to violate public order at facilities of critical infrastructure. The SBU shall immediately step up efforts to counter attempts by the Russian special services, their agents and related subversive and intelligence groups to intervene in the work of critical infrastructure," the document said.
Read alsoPoroshenko on consequences of Donbas blockade: hryvnia devaluation, $2 bln lossesThe NSDC also instructed the Cabinet to approve rules and regulations for transportation of commodities to and from the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Cabinet shall also draw up a list of goods that cannot be transported. Among them are construction materials and radio equipment. It is also to develop and implement an action plan to fight against smuggling of goods in the ATO zone.
What is more, the Cabinet was instructed to repair damaged transport infrastructure, namely bridges, railway crossings and others, in the ATO zone.
As UNIAN reported earlier, ATO soldiers and some parliament members mounted late in January 2017 a blockade of railways used to transport anthracite from temporarily occupied areas in Donbas.
The coal was heading for thermal power plants in Ukrainian-controlled territory. All shipments were suspended on February 10, 2017. Ukrenergo, the operator of Ukraine's integrated power grids, said that anthracite in stock would be enough for 40 days.