The so-called blockaders are a relatively new movement in the turbulent eastern European nation, but have quickly become a flashpoint in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and separatist rebels. "We are proud that the blockade has hit the pockets of the occupiers. The blockade has seriously disrupted trade on both sides, cutting off much of the coal shipments to government-controlled territory and impeding shipments from the mills and factories that are the east's economic backbone. His Metinvest holding company announced last week that it had stopped operations at a steel mill and a coal mine because of the blockade. The separatists do not allow Ukrainian aid in, and in recent months have barred virtually all international organizations from operating there.

Source: Fox News March 03, 2017 21:00 UTC