Kiev- For several months, the Pokrovsk city axis has been considered one of the hottest fighting fronts ever between Ukraine and Russia, as it is where most of the clashes take place, and the most deaths and injuries occur on both sides.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the axis witnesses about 100 direct clashes every day, equivalent to half the number of clashes on all fronts extending over a distance of more than 1,200 kilometers.
The authority confirms that the Russian forces lose approximately 200 to 300 soldiers every day, whether killed or wounded, while the Russians talk about similar numbers regarding the losses of the Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainians do not deny that the city axis is the most difficult for their forces, and Russian forces are advancing towards it at a slow but steady pace, until they are less than 10 kilometers away from it.
Strategic location
Despite the difficulties and losses, the city’s strategic geographic location explains the Russians and Ukrainians’ desperation to tighten control over it.
Pokrovsk is only about 25 kilometers from the borders of the neighboring Dnepropetrovsk province, in which the Russians do not have a foothold. It is the last city in the western part of Donetsk province, of which the Russians control more than 55% of its area. It is considered one of the most important targets of their war, as it constitutes… Lugansk province in the north is known as the Donbass region.
Controlling Pokrovsk, according to Oleg Zhdanov, a military expert and colonel in the reserve forces, means for the Russians access to the M04 international road, threatening the Dnepropetrovsk province and completely cutting off the supplies of the Ukrainian forces from the western side.
He continued to Al Jazeera Net: “The Russians’ arrival in Pokrovsk also means paving the way for movement and control over many of the remaining villages west of the Donetsk province, and north towards the largest remaining cities in it, Konstantinivka, Kramatorsk, and Slavyansk.”
But the secret word behind the “desperation” of both sides is not limited to the geographical location only, but rather to the fact that the city rests on a natural wealth that is unparalleled in the world, and which is indispensable to the Ukrainian economy. There are only two huge mines of rare coke, which bears the “K” mark, which is necessary for the production of steel in the country’s largest metallurgical plants.
Vital importance
For his part, Oleksandr Kalinkov, director of the Union of Metal Manufacturers “Ukr Metallo Prom”, told Al Jazeera Net that these mines are one of Kiev’s main strategic assets in the field of metal industry, and their loss means a decline in this industry by between 50 and 60%, and thus Ukraine will not become a country. It is characterized by exports of coke and metals.
It seems that this vital importance prompts the company responsible for operating the mines to continue work despite the severity of the risks, and despite the fact that Russian forces are only about 14 kilometers away from the company’s administration building in the village of Odachnoy.
The company’s CEO, Andrei Akulich, said that the employees on duty work with bullet-proof vests, and the miners live safely in shelters at a relatively far distance from the front line. There are concrete shelters underground and above ground in the area so that work does not stop.
He added in an interview with local media: “In such circumstances, 3.5 thousand people are still working in the Pokrovsk mines, ensuring that the wheel of the economy continues to turn.”
This “dedication” has ensured that Ukraine keeps its factories running to this day, but the specter of losing Pokrovsk and its resources looms over manufacturers.
Source of wealth
Director of the Union of Metal Manufacturers Kalinkov says, “By relying on the Pokrovsk mines, Ukraine supplied itself with about 90% of its need for coke in 2023, but the situation has deteriorated this year, and instead of producing the 10 million tons of steel that we were planning, the volume of production may not exceed 3.5 million tons.
He pointed out that if Kiev loses the region’s mines, companies will be forced to use imported coke exclusively, and before that they must build appropriate logistical roads, which will take at least a year and a half.
He added: “This is very expensive, and the volume of these imports may not meet the needs of manufacturers and will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the cost of Ukrainian products, tens of percent.”
In the opinion of the director of the Metal Manufacturers’ Union, coking coal in Pokrovsk should remain under Ukraine’s control no matter what happens, because for its economy it is a matter of life and death, and an indispensable means for the country’s post-war recovery.
It is noteworthy that Ukraine was rich in coal and iron mines before the war, especially in the Donbass region in the south-east of the country, and its domestic product depended by 26.5% on the industrial sector, including mining industries (raw materials, rods, wires, structures), and heavy industries (tanks and armored vehicles). Military, civil and military aircraft, trains, aircraft engines and gas turbines, tractors, buses and automobiles).
