Russia is losing its energy influence on the EU market.

A European Union ban on importing coal from the Russian Federation came into effect on August 1. Thus, the Russian Federation is losing its energy influence on the European market, said Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko. According to the minister, Over the past five months, the EU has imported 40% more coal from South Africa than last year. Moreover, from January to May of this year, almost twice as many EU countries bought coal from Kazakhstan than in 2021. According to the minister, Ukraine ridded itself of its Russian coal dependence  prior to the last heating season. In particular, in November 2021, Ukraine started diversifying its coal supply and successfully implemented it.