Russia’s Coal Industry Faces Historic Collapse—Mines Shut in Kuzbass, Its Main Producing Region

Russia’s Coal Industry Faces Historic Collapse—Mines Shut in Kuzbass, Its Main Producing Region

Russia’s coal industry, a cornerstone of the country’s raw-material sector and a major employer in single-industry towns, is collapsing under economic pressure, The Moscow Times reported on August 28. In the first half of 2025, Russian coal companies posted a combined loss of 2.3$ billion, with 66% of firms operating in the red, according to Rosstat. On average, the sector lost more than 12.4$ million per day. The losses already surpass the enti…

The Russian Coal Industry Crisis is in a Perfect Storm

By Vladislav Vorotnikov A combination of low global prices, the abnormal strengthening of the Russian ruble, expensive logistics, and Western sanctions has driven the Russian coal industry to its worst condition since the early 1990s. Nearly 100 Russian coal mines have seen their financial health deteriorate rapidly, with almost one-third of them clearly moving toward bankruptcy, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a recent coal industry report.…