There Have Been Repeated Warnings About the Environmental Risks Posed by Flooded Coal Mines in Eastern Ukraine, Are We Now Seeing Evidence That It Is Happening?

Apr 27, 2020 | Eoghan Darbyshire
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On the 12th March reports emerged on social media of contamination and discoloration at a reservoir in the town of Yenakiyevo, northwest of Donetsk. A follow up article by Free Radio, a local independent media initiative, suggested the cause was waste-water from an unspecified abandoned mine. Using open source investigations, we have been able to confirm the source as acid mine drainage from the Red October mine (Chervonyi Zhovten in Ukranian).

The flooding may have resulted in acidification and mobilisation of heavy metals into the local groundwater and riverine environment, with potentially significant impacts for human health and wildlife. Of additional concern is that the mine is hydraulically connected to the Yunkom mine, the site of an experimental nuclear explosion in 1979. It is possible that radionuclides may also have been released into groundwater and the wider environment.

The immediate cause of the flooding is likely to have been anomalously heavy snowfall in February followed by rapid melting over a few days. Red October and Yunkom are both abandoned, with no pumping capability. Pumping of the Yunkom mine was intentionally ended by the separatist administration in March 2018. As late April and May typically experience heavy rainfall, even greater danger may be imminent. Further investigations are required as soon as possible to assess the immediate and longer-term risks.