Blockade

At the end of January 2017, fighters and veterans of the Anti-Terrorist Operation began a blockade of rail traffic with the occupied territories. The idea of the blockade was voiced as early as the end of 2016 with the aim of achieving a prisoner exchange.

On January 25, the Luhansk – Lysychansk – Popasna railway line was blocked.

On February 6, a conflict arose between blockade participants and police officers near the town of Chasiv Yar.

In February, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced temporary measures in the energy sector, arguing that as a result of the blockade there was a threat of Ukrainian coal-fired TPPs shutting down.

As of March 13, 4 redoubts had been set up to block the movement of goods – not only in Donbas (near Bakhmut and Kryvyi Torets), but also in other places, in particular in Konotop – to block the import of Donetsk coal through Russian territory.

On March 13, law enforcement officers cleared the redoubt near Kryvyi Torets, arresting 46 activists. The detainees were released during the night.