MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. The ban on coal supplies from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic to Ukraine remains in effect, the Donetsk Republic’s transport minister, Semyon Kuzmenko, has said. Thereby he refuted earlier statements by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Valery Voshchevsky Ukraine was getting coal from Donbas again.

"Nothing has been unblocked regarding energy for Ukraine. Not a single carload of coal is on the way," Kuzmenko told the Donetsk News Agency, adding that the head of the republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, was in charge of coal supplies personally.

Earlier, Voshchevsky said that coal supplies were continuing.

"Over the past day we received some 80,000 tonnes of coal and it keeps coming. There was a two-day suspension," he said.

According to the republic’s Transport Ministry, Donetsk will resume coal supplies to Ukraine when Kiev lifts the ban on supplies of fuels, lubricants and spare parts for the railway’s engine fleet.