Russia Destroys Mining Cities in Donbas, Targeting Workers

Russia is systematically attacking mineworkers, their industry and communities accross the Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine. Published below is a report from the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine on the situation – the mineworkers need urgent solidarity. Contact us to help the rescue workers in the region.

7 of August 2024, As a result of yesterday’s shelling by the Russian Armed Forces in the Pokrovsky district of Donetsk region, workers of one of the state-owned mines who came to work in the 1st shift received injuries of varying degrees of severity. The head of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine (NPGU) Mykhailo Volynets informed about horrific attacks on mining cities and challenges for ensuring safety and mental health at workplaces in Donbas.

As the Police of Ukraine informed, during the last 24 hours the Russian troops shelled the mining towns of Girnyk, Kostyantynivka, Kurakhove, Myrnograd, Toretsk, Ukrainian, as well as the villages of Ivanopillia, Kleban-Bik, Markove, Novy Komar, Predtechine, and Uspenivka. According to the police, as a result of the shelling, 41 civilian objects were damaged, including 33 residential buildings, infrastructure objects, gas pipelines, and power lines.

As the head of the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine, Mykhailo Volynets emphasized, that mining cities of the Donetsk region are under constant attacks by Russian Forces.
The trade union leader informed that, unfortunately, two female workers of the Kapitalna Mine of the Myrnogradvuhillia were disabled as a result of a missile attack by Russia on 6 August 2024.

Mykhailo Volynets stated: “One of the female workers was left without an arm, another without a leg, and six more people were injured of varying degrees of severity. Other workers also suffered great stress and psychological traumas.

I do not accidentally go into such details, perhaps spoiling someone’s pleasant impressions of a summer day. Because, first of all, I want to once again draw the attention of the global trade union community, international organizations, and human rights defenders to the state of “labor safety” in Ukraine during the war, as well as targeting industrial and mining cities of Ukraine.
I want to emphasize that Russia is purposefully destroying enterprises, objects of civil and energy infrastructure, and workplaces, targeting workers, firefighters, rescuers, mining rescuers, ambulance and aid workers. The Russians shelled the Kapitalna Mine yesterday early morning, precisely when the first shift of miners arrived at work.

Because of Russian aggression, we have a fundamentally different level of challenges and we need strong international support, including military support, to protect our people who work under daily Russian attacks. At the same time workers, our members, who are serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, are risking their lives to protect our cities and fight for the freedom of Ukraine.
Russia, as a terrorist country, and its representatives should be excluded from all respectable world organizations.

Secondly, I worked in the Kapitalna mine almost from the first days of its opening. The mine Kapitalna, in addition to being one of the largest in Europe, is also the most promising… My heart aches for the miners, trade union members, all the residents of Myrnograd, most of whom I know personally. But it is not the only enterprise that suffers from shelling by Russian troops.
Other mining and industrial cities of Donbas are under constant attack. For example, look at how Russia destroyed mining towns like Toretsk.
Having destroyed the mines in the territories that are under temporary Russian occupation, Russia continues to methodically destroy the coal industry and the energy sector throughout the territory of Donbas”.

In July, 2024 due to shelling and bombardment by the Russian Forces, employees of the SOE “Myrnogradvuhillia” and SOE “Selydivvuhillia” (Donetsk region), where the primary trade union organizations of NPGU operate, were injured. According to official reports, in July 2024, 11 coal industry workers were injured at their workplaces as a result of shelling and missile fire by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, 2 of whom died. In particular, on July 12, 2024, a storekeeper and an electrical fitter died from injuries received as a result of rocket fire by Russian troops at the “Sviato-Varvarynska Enrichment Factory” (Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region).
It will be recalled that on July 8, as a result of a Russian missile strike, 8 employees (the head of the department, two dispatchers, an economist, two engineers and two consultants) of PJSC “Northern Mining and Processing Plant” were killed, and 37 employees were injured.as a result of the shelling, 41 civilian objects were damaged, including 33 residential buildings, infrastructure objects, gas pipelines, and power lines.