Caused over UAH 5 billion in damages to state: group seizes mine in Donetsk region and illegally extracts coal – SBI. PHOTOS
A criminal group was illegally mining coal at one of the mines in the Donetsk region. The illegal extraction caused more than UAH 5 billion in losses to the state.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation, according to Censor.NET.
"SBI investigators established that illegal coal mining in the area adjacent to the Sviato-Pokrovska mine, located in the village of Kurytsyne, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region, resulted in over UAH 5 billion in damages to the state. This conclusion was reached by experts as part of the Bureau’s ongoing criminal investigation," the statement reads.
The agency reminded that in November 2024, SBI employees stopped illegal coal mining in the territory adjacent to the Svyato-Pokrovska mine in the village of Kurytsyne, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region.
The SBI said that a private company received a licence for geological exploration and pilot commercial development of a hard coal deposit in 2021, but did not start the relevant work.
Instead, this area was seized and started mining by a group of people who actually united into a criminal organisation. It consisted of 9 people, in addition to the organiser. They were engaged in technical support of coal mining, territory security, control of miners' work, accounting and sale of illegally mined coal.
"Without any permits, they were mining coal at a depth of about 80 metres. To do this, they even converted an old non-working ventilation duct of the Sviato-Pokrovska mine into a shaft for miners to go underground," law enforcement officers said.
The report also states that the organiser of the illegal business agreed with the head of the local community, who helped to seize the land plot where they were mining coal by forging documents to lease it to an enterprise controlled by the organiser. The local community leader also covered up the illegal activity.
The pre-trial investigation is currently underway.
