Russia rightfully retains the status of one of the largest mining powers in the world, and the coal industry remains the leading one in the country’s production complex, the Federal News Agency reports. According to the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, last year the country produced more than 400 million tonnes of coal, which is 20-70 million tonnes more than in 2011-2016, and all this thanks to the miners who celebrated their professional holiday yesterday, on August 29.
The holiday of coal industry workers appeared in the Soviet era. For the first time, advanced miners of production in Russia and other Soviet republics were congratulated in 1948. The decision to approve the solemn day was made a year earlier on the initiative of Soviet statesmen, organizers of the coal industry of the USSR Dmitry Onik and Alexander Zasyadko.
The last Sunday of August was chosen as the date of the holiday, as it was that special day (actually on the night of August 30 to 31) in the year 1935, when Soviet miner, Alexey Stakhanov, set a record and instead of 5-7 tonnes of coal per shift, he extracted 102 tonnes, exceeding the norm by more than 14 times. After just three weeks, he has already extracted 227 tonnes in 5 hours and 45 minutes, thus having broken his own record. This feat marked the beginning of the “Stakhanov Movement”, which for decades inspired and united the leaders of the production of the Soviet state.
Nowadays, on this significant day, solemn events are held in all cities and towns of Russia, especially in those for which coal production remains the leading one. It is specified that most of these are located in the Siberian Federal District of the country, in the Kemerovo region, the territory of which coincides with most of the Kuzbass (The Kuznetsk Coal Basin). In total, there are 187 operating coal enterprises in Russia that develop 130 sections and 53 mines.
This year, due to restrictions on the background of the pandemic, mass events have been cancelled. Instead of them, a “Miners’ Week” is being held in Kuzbass, as part of which leading industry employees and veterans are honoured at production facilities and in municipalities honorary awards and prizes.
In the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the celebration was held on a larger scale. In the Shcherbakov Park, on the city pond, representatives of the ‘Flyboard Rostov’ company staged an extreme water show, KP.ru reports. Two guys on “flying boards” made pirouettes and flew close to the audience, gave them five, and after this raised the flags of Russia and the DPR, which caused loud applause.
Later, a concert began in the park with the participation of Russian artists, rapper Doni, singer Anet Sai, the music group Infiniti and Mojito, as well as the ‘Drumtime’ drum show. The concert ended with festive fireworks.
Ru-Main, 30.08.2021
