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Russia's coal-mining Kemerovo region sends first coal to Ukraine — official

Russian companies operating in the Kuznetsk coal basin will supply a million tons of coal to Ukraine monthly

© ITAR-TASS/Yuri Smityuk

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KEMEROVO, December 30. /TASS/. The companies of Russia's coal-mining Kuzbas region (Kuznetsk basin) will supply one million tons of coal to Ukraine every month, Kemerovo Region Governor Aman Tuleyev said on Tuesday.

“We’ve gathered for a working meeting and decided who and how much to load. The first trains have already started,” he said.

Kuzbass hopes for a constructive dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities, Tuleyev said.

“I feel for people, children and veterans. They are using wood heat. I wish a work group would arrive on the order of [Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko. It [Ukraine] should make up a route for supplying coal - to what city and to what region, but they are not here. We work ourselves, but the coal has already been sent,” he said.

Commenting on coal types, Tuleyev said, “Special coal types should be supplied - the types, which are only produced in Russia’s region of Kuzbas. If other types of coal are supplied, the heating regime can fail and this can lead to accidents.”

Earlier, Russian Vice-Premier Dmitry Kozak said Russia had made a decision to supply 500,000 tons of coal to Ukraine per month for solving its energy problems.

“If an additional corresponding agreement is reached, we’re ready to supply another 500,000 tons, totally one million tons of coal, to Ukraine in order to help it solve the energy problems,” Kozak said.

The decision to this effect was made at Ukraine’s request.

Kozak expressed hope that this would help ensure reliable energy supplies to Crimea.

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