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"On Point"
MINSK, 13 November (BelTA) – Former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2010-2014) Nikolai Azarov explained what the loss of Pokrovsk could mean for the country in the latest episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA's YouTube channel.
“I would like to say the following: Krasnoarmeysk [the name of Pokrovsk until 2016] was a district center that once hosted some of the best coal mines. These mines produced coking coal, a highly valuable raw material for the metallurgical industry. It was a city of miners, with Dimitrov nearby. The whole area, if we look at the map (Konstantinovka, Kramatorsk, Slavyansk), is a highly urbanized part of Donbass,” he said.
According to Nikolai Azarov, Pokrovsk remains the last relatively significant stronghold, beyond which lies a direct road to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. He stressed that the area is critically important for water supply in Donbass, an extremely arid region.
“Donetsk Oblast was supplied by the Siverskyi Donets-Donbass canal. This is the largest canal, delivering one billion cubic meters of water annually to the region. Water is not only a source of life for people. It is also essential for the chemical, metallurgical, and machine-building industries,” he noted.
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