Ukraine’s Industrial Output Plunged in April

By Laura Mills

KYIV, Ukraine–Ukraine’s industrial output fell by almost a quarter in April from a year earlier, the country’s state
statistics agency said Monday.

Industrial output dropped by 21.7%. The data excluded parts of the country’s east controlled by Russia-backed
separatists. The parts of those regions still under Ukrainian control were the worst hit: Output in the Donetsk region
fell 49.5% year-on-year, and in Luhansk by 89%.

Ukraine’s economy contracted by 17.6% in the first quarter compared with last year. Battles between rebels and
Ukrainian forces continue to simmer in the east, and almost a year of fighting has disrupted many transportation routes
even in those parts of the region still controlled by Ukraine’s government.


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