Ruined Donbas: The End of the Coal Industry and the Likely Disappearance of the Region’s Industrial Heart
Russia’s occupation policies have led to the complete destruction of a vital industrial sector in Donbas—the coal industry, which historically served as the backbone of the local economy and residents’ livelihoods.
Of the 114 mines operating before the war began in 2014, only 15 remain active today, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate.
However, independent experts from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine suggest an even lower figure — just 7 functioning mines.
Military analyst and former journalist Yevhen Shibalov points out that many of these mines now serve solely as underground water pumps, with some ceasing to operate as coal extraction sites altogether.
The irreversible decline of the coal sector is undeniable, echoing warnings made years prior when Russia was actively closing mines within its own borders while maintaining an oversupply of coal domestically.
Shibalov emphasizes that Russia is unlikely to invest in the development of the occupied facilities; instead, their goal appears to be the destruction of Ukrainian industrial potential and the collapse of the region’s economic infrastructure.
This is exemplified by the abandoned and destroyed industrial hubs—such as the Avdiivka Coke Plant, metallurgical factories in Mariupol, and the Nitrogen chemical plant in Severodonetsk—that once propelled the industrial strength of Donbas.
During the full-scale invasion of 2022–2024, Russian forces further devastated these key enterprises, leaving a landscape of industrial ruin that signals the definitive end of Donbas’s industrial era.