9. apr. 2023 11:02 – Updated Apr 9 2023 11:02
Deep under the ground in southeast Ukraine, the country’s miners make an extra effort to extract coal that can help the country in its defense against Russia.
The coal they dig out both helps to power the military forces fighting Russia’s invasion, as well as providing light and heat to civilians. Russia has repeatedly attacked the power grid and other civilian infrastructure.
At the same time, the nuclear power plants are partially paralyzed by the war. Then the coal becomes an essential part of the work to meet the energy demand, says the chief engineer of a mining company in the Dnipro region.
There, lifts transport the workers down into the depths of the mine. There they use heavy machinery that digs out the coal and moves the precious material up to the surface.
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Hard and important work
It is hard work, the miners say. But it is important to keep the country up, they say.
– Today, the country’s energy independence is more than a priority, says Oleksandr, the chief engineer who, like the other miners, will only be referred to by his first name for security reasons.
It has been over half a year since the attacks against the power grid and other infrastructure began on a large scale. The nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya, which is Europe’s largest, has become well known in the world. Negotiations to establish a demilitarized zone there have stalled.
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A miner puts down his lantern and is done with his shift for now. It is hard work, but important, say the workers.
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Live a double life in the mine
The authorities in Kyiv say no to any proposals that legitimize Russia’s control of the facility. The last reactor was shut down in September as Ukrainian operators deemed it too dangerous to keep it operating while bombs fell nearby.
The work the miners put in cannot fully compensate for the demise of nuclear power. But every megawatt they manage to create plays an important role in minimizing the problems.
– We come to work with optimism and try not to think about what happens outside the mine, says a miner named Serhij.
– We work with a smile and forget the rest. And when we leave here, another life begins for us. It’s about survival and everything else, he says.
Many miners have joined the armed forces and are fighting on the front lines. Around 150 miners have gone to Dnipro from occupied areas to assist.
Started life anew
A man called Jurij left Donetsk, where fighting has raged since 2014, to go to Dnipro.
– The war has changed my life radically. It is impossible to live and work where I did before. Life has started again from the beginning, he says.
According to British intelligence, it is likely that Russia’s attempt to destroy Ukraine’s power grid and influence the population has failed. They estimate that Ukraine’s energy situation will improve much as temperatures rise.
The British point out that although there are still attacks against the power grid, the large attacks are now more rare. Ukraine has also managed to find alternatives to the electricity that has fallen away, they point out.
