Ukrainian miners blow up unique Pokrovsk mine to deny Russians underground access

The Pokrovsk mine was Ukraine’s only source of coking coal, essential for the steel industry. In 2023, Ukraine produced about 3.5 million tons of coke, relying solely on coking coal from Pokrovsk, Ukrkoks, a national association of coking plants, explained.

Despite the advancing Russian forces and continuous shelling, the mine and the miners who kept working until the last moment, and Metinvest, the company operating the mine, offered miners extra pay to keep them working.

To reach the mine, workers had to navigate through kilometers of underground tunnels, which provided some protection from bombardments. Power outages caused by shelling often left them trapped underground for hours.

The NYT noted that the mine was an economic lifeline for the region. In 2023, Metinvest employed around 4,500 people at the site, many of whom had spent most of their working lives there.

"The wages were good, and Metinvest’s mining facilities fostered a sense of care," the article described.

"This summer [during a journalist visit], the mine featured flower beds, fountains, and an Orthodox chapel with golden icons and ornate ceilings where miners could pray in peace."

From booming industry to battleground

The first signs of imminent danger emerged in late summer 2024, as Russian forces renewed their offensive. By the end of September, a shelling attack killed four female employees, prompting a wave of evacuations. Attacks only intensified afterward. Some miners opted to drive themselves to work instead of taking company buses to avoid being targeted by Russian drones.

One of the main mine shafts, Shaft No. 3, located closest to the front lines in the village of Pishchane, was under regular Russian fire. By late December, miners switched to an alternative shaft, located 9.5 km further west, extending their commute to two hours. Returning miners even used conveyor belts — normally reserved for freshly mined coal — to exit the underground.

By mid-December, Russian forces were just 1.6 km from Shaft No. 3. Fearing that Russians could capture it and use the tunnels to bypass Ukrainian defenses, miners, in coordination with the military, drilled boreholes beneath the mine for explosives. Around Dec. 20, the shaft was blown up.

"Everything collapsed, and now it's just rubble," said miner Anton Telegin, who worked at the Pokrovsk mine for 18 years.

A Metinvest manager, speaking anonymously, revealed that explosives had also been planted at two other company-owned mines near the settlements of Kotlyne and Udachne.

The uncertain future of Pokrovsk’s miners

Many of the approximately 1,000 miners who remained in Pokrovsk until the last moment have since relocated to cities further from the front lines, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro. Some have found new jobs there, while others remain uncertain about their future.

On Jan. 14, Metinvest announced the suspension of operations at the Pokrovsk coal group due to shifts in the front lines, power shortages, and worsening security conditions.

As a contingency plan, the company has arranged to replace Ukrainian coking coal with supplies from its United Coal Company subsidiary in the United States, supplemented by stockpiled coal and external suppliers.

Industry at risk

In 2022, steel production in Ukraine plummeted by 70.7% to 6.3 million tons. In 2023, production fell further to 6 million tons. According to industry analysts, if the Pokrovsk mine remains closed, steel production could drop to 2–3 million tons in 2025, compared to the 7.6 million tons projected for 2024.