KIEV, April 22 – Ukraine's Energy and Coal Industry Ministry doesn't see any positive prospects for 11 out of 35 state-run coalmines, which are located in government-controlled territory, but only three of them are to be closed in the near future, according to Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn.

"When we decide to close coalmines, these will be only those without any prospects at all. At the moment, these are three out of 35," he said at the miners' congress in Kiev on Tuesday.