Türkiye imports coal mined in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories from Russia – Reuters

This year, Russia has exported at least $14.3 million worth of coal mined in Russian-occupied territories to Türkiye.

Source: Reuters with reference to data of Russian customs

Details: According to the data, from February to July 2023, about 160,400 tonnes of coal from temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine were exported to Türkiye.

Three producers listed in customs data confirmed to Reuters that they shipped coal from the two regions to Türkiye during the period.

Türkiye’s trade ministry and customs did not respond to requests for comment on the shipments.

Trade supplier data reviewed by Reuters showed coal from at least 10 producers was sent to Türkiye between February and July. The figures showed that Türkiye was the largest exporter of coal from the Russian-occupied regions, accounting for 95% of deliveries during the period.

Coal sellers are registered in Russia and in the annexed territories of Ukraine, according to the Spark database of Russian companies.

According to customs, the buyers were companies registered in Hong Kong, the UAE and offshore jurisdictions including Belize and the British Virgin Islands. There were no Turkish companies on the list.

The agency was unable to locate the buyers' contacts and determine who the ultimate beneficiary was.

In November, Vitalii Khotsenko, the then head of the so-called "Donetsk People’s Republic" stated that the region exports coal to Türkiye, from where it goes to the markets of the Middle East and Africa.

Reuters was unable to find any information in customs data on deliveries of coal produced in the Donetsk People’s Republic to Türkiye or other countries in 2022.

Although commercial trade data do not give a complete picture of how coal was exported, they did show that some went through Rostov and some through the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, which has rail links to Donetsk and Luhansk.

Earlier: Russia stole almost 6 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain collected last year in the temporarily occupied territories.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!