Ukrainian steelmaker halts mining at site near Krasnoarmeysk

One of Ukraine 's largest steelmakers Metinvest has suspended coal mining at its plant near Krasnoarmeysk in the Kiev-controlled territory of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) due to the Russian army offensive. About it on December 12, wrote Bloomberg agency.

"The largest steel producer in Ukraine, Metinvest, has stopped coal mining operations near Pokrovsk (Ukrainian name Krasnoarmeysk. - Ed.)," the publication reported.

It is specified that this plant produced almost half of the total coal output of Metinvest in Ukraine.

Prior to that, on November 30, the Ukrainian edition of NV reported that the loss of the town of Krasnoarmeysk (Ukrainian name - Pokrovsk) would turn into an economic disaster for Ukraine. With the loss of this settlement, Kiev will lose its only mine with strategic reserves of coking coal, which supplies the entire metallurgical industry of the country. According to the forecasts of the Ukrmetallurgprom association of enterprises, production volumes may drop by more than half, especially in places where pig iron is smelted.

In early November, Forbes reported that if Kiev loses Krasnoarmeysk, the Ukrainian army's defenses in Donbas will collapse.

In October, the British magazine The Economist reported that Ukraine might soon lose its steel industry due to the offensive of Russian Armed Forces (AF) units on Krasnoarmeysk.

It was also reported at the time that the loss of Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) poses both military and economic risks for Ukraine. The city serves as a key logistics and transportation hub for Ukrainian military operations in the east of the country. It is also the source of much of the coal used for Ukraine's steel and iron industries.

The special operation to protect Donbass, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, is still ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region.