BRUSSELS: Ukraine’s eastern region has been heavily industrialized since the 1800s. The area used to generate 16 percent of Ukraine’s gross domestic product, although that has taken a hit since the Russian-backed war broke out in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
And in fact, much of the Donbas’s early industry was set up not by the region’s former czarist Russian rulers, but rather by businessmen from the Western European nation of Belgium.
Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are dotted with industrial enterprises that were founded by Belgians in the 19th century, and others that are operated by Belgium-based multinationals today.
And Belgium continues to industrialize the region today – a new wind power station at Novy Azov, for example, supplies the area with 1,200 kilowatts of energy. And in spite of the continuing war, a Belgian clay mining firm has also resolved to keep operating in the region.
