Photo from 112 Ukraine
Ukraine's state-owned railways operator JSC Ukrzaliznytsia in 2016 transported almost 12 million tonnes of coal from the occupied areas in Donbas, according to the company's press service.
"In 2016, the freight brought by rail from areas not controlled [by the Ukrainian government] to the controlled ones included mainly 11.8 million tonnes of coal and 1,300 tonnes of coke. Payments for the transportation services were handled in Ukrainian-controlled territory solely, while the freight was relocated through the entry-exit checkpoints in accordance with the procedure approved by the SBU Anti-Terrorist Center's first deputy head, who issued a respective order. The procedure regulated both the type of the freight, as well as the consignor and the consignee," the report said.
Yet, the company said, the transportation of goods by rail between the controlled and temporarily occupied areas was suspended in March 2017 in keeping with a decision taken by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine.
Ukrzaliznytsia claims it has no branches in the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" (self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics), adding that it does not conduct any financial translations there as well.
Read alsoUkrainian Railways plans five-year investment program – mediaAs UNIAN reported earlier, the NSDC on March 15 decided to temporarily ban movement of goods across the contact line in the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone in Ukraine's east. Activists blocked railway traffic with the occupied areas in late January 2017.
Fighting in the eastern regions of Ukraine has caused a significant shortage of coal, primarily that of thermal anthracite produced in militant-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Thus, the deficit of coal affects the operation of power plants, which have to reduce their capacity.
However, the issue of coal shipments to thermal power plants critically arose after the launch of a blockade of trade with the occupied areas in late January 2017, as well as after DTEK lost control in mid-March over its energy units that operate in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, namely DTEK Rovenkyanthracite LLC, DTEK Sverdlovanthracite LLC, and DTEK Mine Komsomolets Donbasa Private Joint-Stock Company (PrJSC).