Russian troops take control of Europe's largest coal mine.
(Baonghean.vn) - The iDNES newspaper (Czech Republic) reported that the Avdeevka chemical and coke plant is the focal point of the fighting between Russia and Ukraine in the Donbass region. Ukrainian armed forces are reportedly no longer strong enough to defend what is known as the "black heart" of Donbass.
Ria Novosti, citing an analysis from the Czech newspaper iDNES, reports that the chemical and coke plant in Avdeevka was previously considered the "jewel of the industrial empire" of Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's richest oligarch. Akhmetov's massive coke plant has become the target of a new Russian attack. How long will Ukraine be able to defend it?
Since the beginning of October, the Russian army has demonstrated its ability to regain the initiative on its own and has finally taken control of the city located on the outskirts of Donetsk.
The Russian "pincers" are tightening their grip day by day. According to analysts, Russian troops are advancing northwest and northeast of the city.
One of the main targets in the Russian attack was the coke plant, located on the northwestern outskirts of the city of Avdeevka – dubbed the "black heart" of the Donbass region. For more than eight years, Ukraine has controlled this city, turning it into a stronghold.
Controlling this area is not only strategically important but also symbolic for Russia. The coke plant is located on a hilltop, from which it allows control over the southern areas of Avdeevka. Russian control of this area would further complicate the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Avdeevka chemical and coking plant was built 60 years ago. Now, a large industrial complex has become a battlefield, similar to the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, or the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk. Before the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict (February 2022), the Avdeevka coking plant employed 4,000 people, produced nearly one-third of Ukraine's total coking coal, and was considered one of the largest coal plants in Europe.
The coke plant was attacked shortly after the Donbass uprising in 2017. However, even while fighting was ongoing, Metinvest Corporation invested hundreds of millions of hryvnia in repairing and modernizing the plant, and thus the business continued to operate. The Avdeevka Coke Plant produces 2.45 million tonnes of coke, in addition to benzene.,Coal tar and ammonium sulfate.
After Russia launched its special military operation, production came to a standstill. The evacuation of workers was accelerated. The last workers left the plant on November 7th. And now only Ukrainian soldiers remain in the "labyrinth" of coke ovens, conveyor belts, cooling towers, and water treatment plants. The soldiers may also have found shelter in a vast underground system. According to a report from four years ago, there are 11 chemical storage silos located beneath the Avdeevka Coke Plant.
The question is what price Ukrainians are willing to pay to defend this city. Oleg Sentsov, a resident of Avdeevka, shared: “Personally, I don’t see the loss of control of the city as a serious problem. A similar situation has happened in Bakhmut before. The issue isn’t losing control of the territory, but that we could lose people if we fight incorrectly.”