The mine is notorious for its safety standards; 33 people were killed there in 2015 by a methane blast. A cease-fire deal struck in Minsk in 2015 has helped to reduce the fighting but it never fully stopped. Fighting has cut water supplies for most of the town and it was left without heating in the dead of winter. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday cut short his visit to Germany because of the fighting. OSCE monitors have been key in documenting cease-fire violations on both sides of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Source: CBC News January 31, 2017 10:09 UTC