(KEMEROVO, RUSSIA) – More than 1,700 coal miners in Russia’s Kemerovo region have declared a strike after going without wages for almost a year, with unpaid salaries now exceeding 500 million rubles ($5.2 million / £4.1 million).
The miners, employed by the Severny Kuzbass company, recorded a video address to candidates for the Russian State Duma stating they have not received payment since October 2025. They said promises made by Kemerovo Region Governor Ilya Seredyuk have not altered the situation.
“We are not asking for charity; we are demanding what we earned through hard mining labour,” the miners said.
In May 2026, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported the company’s debt had exceeded 256 million rubles ($2.7 million / £2.1 million). Investigators allege company head Stanislav Lupiy diverted funds intended for wages to accounts of controlled companies and issued bonuses to management.
The Kemerovo region, also known as Kuzbass, accounts for roughly half of all coal production in Russia. The governor has stated that 80 percent of the region’s coal enterprises are operating at a loss. Eighteen enterprises have already closed, and coal production has fallen to 2011 levels.
Russian authorities attribute the crisis to sanctions, sales difficulties, rising production costs and increased railway tariffs. The region is now among Russia’s leaders in budget deficits, lacking 24.25 billion rubles ($254 million / £200 million).
The strike follows growing unrest across Russian industrial regions as the economic toll of the war against Ukraine continues to mount. The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has prioritised military expenditure over regional stability, leaving once prosperous industrial centres facing collapse.
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