In more recent years, there has been a concerted effort by the government to clean up the industry by bringing in international mine safety experts, strengthening enforcement of regulations and, crucially, shutting down coal mines that are illegal or flout safety practices.
The scheme allows Ukrainian troops to trade videos of confirmed kills on the battlefield for prizes.
The move, likely to face legal challenges, comes just weeks before early voting starts in the key battleground state.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcoming more than 20 world leaders to the Brics summit.