Ukraine blew up the No. 3 mine's shaft in the village of Pishchane in Donetsk Oblast to prevent Russia from deploying its troops closer to the front-line town of Pokrovsk, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Jan.

Ukraine has stopped production at its coking coal mine in Pokrovsk, which feeds the country's steel industry, because of the proximity of advancing Russian forces, two industry sources told Reuters on Monday.

Pokrovsk mine workers planted explosives under one of the shafts to prevent Russian forces from accessing underground tunnels, the New York Times wrote on Jan. 15.

The Pokrowske coking coal mine production in the Donetsk region has been halted due to the Russian offensive. This company, crucial for the Ukrainian steel industry, is in direct danger. Metinvest, the largest Ukrainian mining and metallurgical holding company,

The Pokrowske coking coal mine production in the Donetsk region has been halted due to the Russian offensive. This company, crucial for the Ukrainian steel industry, is in direct danger. Metinvest, the largest Ukrainian mining and metallurgical holding,

The mine is Ukraine’s only source of metallurgical coal required for steel production. According to the country’s coking coal association, Ukraine produced about 3.5 million tons of coke in 2023 using coal solely from Pokrovsk.