Ukraine has allowed the export of anthracite from the LPR
The Centralnaya Coal-processing Plant Ltd., registered in the town of Antratsyt on territory not controlled by Ukraine, began exporting anthracite coal in the beginning of May, having received the appropriate license from Ukrainian authorities, LІGA.net reports citing several Ukrainian coal traders. The plant supplies coal to local companies in Slovakia. Anthracite is worth about $80 per ton at the border.
Centralnaya is owned by Vitaly Zharchinsky, Natalia Zharchinskaya and Dmyro Polubatko. Zharchinsky is a famous Luhansk entrepreneur, a former member of the Party of Regions, which he represented in the City Council of Antratsyt. Previously, he also worked as an assistant for the Communist Party MP, Serhiy Gmyrya.
Polubatko is a son of Luhansk entrepreneur Volodymyr Polubatko, former president of FC Stal Alchevsk, a professional football team based in Alchevsk. Polubatko junior now lives in Kyiv.
The exact volumes Centralnaya exports are unknown. Overall, in May, Ukraine exported about 30,000 tons of anthracite mined in the uncontrolled territories. It was the largest amount of this type of coal exported since December 2014. Now there is a shortage of anthracite coal in Ukraine.
According to LIGA, in addition to Centralnaya, a number of other companies are engaged in the export of anthracite. One is Integral Ltd. from Starobilsk in the Luhansk region, which is headed by Pavlo Podlipyan, who is on the sanction list. Another is Rovenki-Vuglepostach Ltd. , owned by Serhiy Melnychuk, whose brother is an adviser to the so-called Minister of Energy of the LPR, Oleksandr Melnychuk.
Export of anthracite from Ukraine is subject to licensing. Permission for export operations is issued by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade in agreement with the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining.