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How war has devastated Ukraine’s coal industry

Updated 12:56 PM EST, Sun February 6, 2022
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Miners wait for an elevator to take them below ground at the start of their shift in Vuhledar, Ukraine.
How war has devastated Ukraine's coal industry
Miners wait for an elevator to take them below ground at the start of their shift in Vuhledar, Ukraine.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN

Updated 12:56 PM EST, Sun February 6, 2022

Ukraine was once Europe's third-largest coal producer. But production has dropped dramatically since 2014, when fighting broke out with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Donbas region.

In 2013, Ukraine produced 84 million metric tons of coal. Last year, it was down to 29 million.

Much of Ukraine's mines are in the Donbas and were seized by pro-Russian forces. And since the fighting began, many of these mines have been damaged or fallen into disrepair, experts say.

"Many mines were flooded due to nonfunctioning water pumps to keep the groundwater out of the tunnels," said photojournalist Timothy Fadek, who has been in Ukraine since last month covering the ongoing tensions with Russia. "The war cut the electricity, which in turn cut the pumps. The flooding is permanent and irreversibly destructive."

This destruction has had serious environmental consequences, contaminating local water supplies. It has also caused tens of thousands to miners to lose their jobs.

Those jobs are unlikely to come back. At COP26, a climate change summit held in Scotland last year, Ukraine pledged to phase out coal by 2035 and invest in clean energy.

Fadek recently visited a mine in Vuhledar, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk basin. It's one of the country's biggest and most developed coal mines.

"I wanted to see the last remaining vestiges of a gutted industry struggling to remain economically relevant and see the workers who who just want to maintain food on the table and a roof over their heads," Fadek said.

An operator controls a shaft elevator at the Pivdennodonbaska 3 coal mine.
An operator controls a shaft elevator at the Pivdennodonbaska 3 coal mine.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Safety posters are seen at the mine.
Safety posters are seen at the mine.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Miners ascend to the surface after a six-hour shift. This mine employs 2,150 workers, and 1,400 of them are miners, said Yevhen Viktorovych, the mine's deputy director of labor protection.
Miners ascend to the surface after a six-hour shift. This mine employs 2,150 workers, and 1,400 of them are miners, said Yevhen Viktorovych, the mine's deputy director of labor protection.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
An elevator operator works the controls.
An elevator operator works the controls.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
The Pivdennodonbaska 3 coal mine is one of the biggest and most developed coal mines in Ukraine.
The Pivdennodonbaska 3 coal mine is one of the biggest and most developed coal mines in Ukraine.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A miner wears a methane gas detector. The youngest miner at this site is 18 years old, and the oldest is 65.
A miner wears a methane gas detector. The youngest miner at this site is 18 years old, and the oldest is 65.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Workers take a break between shifts.
Workers take a break between shifts.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Before the start of their shift, miners wait for an elevator to take them below. "They want to be paid on time and want their children to choose a different line of work than mining," photographer Timothy Fadek said. "Even if the mines can continue to produce for another 30-60 years and they have higher than average wages, they all know it's not sustainable as an industry long into the future."
Before the start of their shift, miners wait for an elevator to take them below. "They want to be paid on time and want their children to choose a different line of work than mining," photographer Timothy Fadek said. "Even if the mines can continue to produce for another 30-60 years and they have higher than average wages, they all know it's not sustainable as an industry long into the future."
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
A sign showing various elevator signals hangs on a wall.
A sign showing various elevator signals hangs on a wall.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Almost all local mines operate at a loss and rely on heavy subsidies to function, Fadek said. "We are always struggling to turn a profit," Viktorovych told him. Demand for coal has decreased because of the Covid-19 economic downturn and an unusually warm winter.
Almost all local mines operate at a loss and rely on heavy subsidies to function, Fadek said. "We are always struggling to turn a profit," Viktorovych told him. Demand for coal has decreased because of the Covid-19 economic downturn and an unusually warm winter.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
An elevator's indicator shows the height to upper floors in meters.
An elevator's indicator shows the height to upper floors in meters.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Miners return their safety equipment at the end of their shift.
Miners return their safety equipment at the end of their shift.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Miners relax before the start of their shift.
Miners relax before the start of their shift.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
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