Yuri Zukov News

Eastern Conflict Slashed Ukraine Coal Output

Ukrainian coal production fell 22 percent in 2014 to 65 million tonnes after the pro-Russian separatist conflict disrupted mining operations in the country's eastern industrial heartland, deputy energy minister Yuri Zukov said on Friday. The fall in output has led to severe shortages of coal at thermal power plants, which traditionally supply 40 percent of Ukraine's electricity, plunging the country into a power crisis.