Polish company fell under the US sanctions for trading coal from separatist-held territory of Donbas
The Polish company, Doncoaltrade, which was engaged in exporting of coal from the separatist-controlled territories of the Donbas, was included in the US sanctions list, as stated in a message on the website of the US Department of the Treasury.
On Friday night, the US Treasury announced the expansion of sanctions against Russia due to the situation in Ukraine, adding to it 21 individuals and 12 organizations.
Polish publication Gazeta Prawna reported on November 5 that anthracite from territory of the LPR was being supplied to Poland. The coal was imported by Doncoaltrade, which has been registered in the Polish city of Katowice since 2012. The Chairman and main shareholder Doncoaltrade, according to the publication, is Alexander Melnychuk, the former Vice-Minister of Energy of the LPR.
Another company shareholder was Roman Zyukov, the son of Yuriy Zyukov, former first deputy minister of energy and coal industry of Ukraine. However, one of Roman Zyukov’s assistants reported that Zyukov had sold his share in the company to Melnychuk as early as 2014.
Later, Polish Energy Minister Krzysztof Thuzhevsky admitted that a batch of coal was delivered to the country from the Donbas territory.
Thuzhevsky promised that Poland would begin to verify whether the coal supplies come from the separatist-controlled territories and such deliveries will be prohibited.
Later, Ukraine appealed to Poland to stop exports of coal from the separatist-held territories of the Donbas.
Poland must stop buying coal from the occupied Donbas, said Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Ihor Nasalyk.
“This is not at all partnership-like, and we hope that the Polish government will react to this situation,” Nasalyk said on Wednesday during a meeting with a Polish business in Warsaw, Ukrinform reports.
According to the minister, the origin of the coal can easily be tested with chemical indicators. Nasalyk reiterated that Ukraine does not use anthracite coal from the separatist-controlled territories, and instead imports it from South Africa and other countries.