An open letter from the mayors of coal mining communities regarding Ukraine’s recovery process

We, the mayors of the Ukrainian mining communities, strive to become active participants in the recovery processes in Ukraine and see our communities’ potential to become real examples of sustainable recovery.

Just like all Ukrainians, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, in our communities we have faced numerous challenges related to military actions.

During the last six months of the full-scale war, some mining communities have come under fire and their critical infrastructure was damaged. In the eastern regions, there are significant problems with water and gas supply. For instance, in the Donetsk region, gas pipelines are destroyed, which is why it will not be physically possible to provide heating in towns and villages this winter; the Karlivka filtering station is cut-off due to constant shelling. Another major safety and environmental challenge is the shutdown and flooding of mines, as has already happened in Vuhledar (Donetsk region), which is on the front line.

At the same time, there is a large outflow of people from communities located in the east of Ukraine, as well as an increase of internally displaced persons in the western regions.

However, we look forward to a post-victory future in which our cities are transformed.

We understand the global trend towards decarbonization, which Ukraine is also involved in. A number of actions by the government and international partners of Ukraine before the full-scale invasion testified to the inevitable transformation of the energy sector and the gradual phase-out of coal. These actions include the ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2016; the signing of an energy partnership between Ukraine and Germany in August 2020; the start of the Initiative for