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Minister of the Coal Industry of the Ukrainian SSR: “Without Bread and Coal, the Earth Does Not Turn”

гринько
© Фото из архива журнала "Уголь", 2021 года, март/ Unsplash.com

In 1953, the section chief of the mine boldly named "Stalin's Face" within the Krasnolucheugol trust made a pivotal decision: to shift from three 8-hour production shifts to two, dedicating the remaining shift to daily maintenance of the incline and equipment, reinforcing the working face, and conducting ventilation and fill works. During an era when the coal industry faced constant shortages and operated non-stop—without weekends or holidays—such a proposal could be perceived as an act of defiance and deliberate underperformance. This risked not only the section chief's position but also that of the trust's director.

In the 1970s, when former German prisoners of war who had worked in Soviet coal mines were asked, "What do you remember most about that period of your life?" their answer was unequivocal: "The plan!" It dictated their food rations, monetary allowances, and the favor of their superiors.

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© Донбасс 1950-х годов на почтовых открытках/ "Комсомольцы работают в одной из лав за погрузкой угля на конвейер"
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© Донбасс 1950-х годов на почтовых открытках/ "Пневматическое бурение отверстий в угле для закладки динамита"

However, Grinko firmly believed that the continuous operation of mining enterprises had a detrimental effect on the condition of mining infrastructure and increased the risk of machinery and equipment failures. The production target for the mine, which included four sections like Nikolai Konstantinovich's, was set at 1,000 tons per day, but actual output reached only 60% of this goal. The main bottleneck was the transport system, which used endless haulage with poor maintenance, leading to frequent breakdowns.

Grinko's idea of switching to two shifts faced harsh criticism—his colleagues scoffed, predicting the end of his career. Nevertheless, Grinko secured permission to implement a cyclical labor organization system, which doubled output from 300 to 600 tons per day. His section alone began delivering 75% of the mine's total target. The successfully implemented initiative earned Nikolai Grinko the position of chief engineer of "Stalin's Face." This was only the first step in the journey of a simple boy from a Belarusian village to becoming the head of an entire republic's coal industry.

Nikolai Konstantinovich was born in 1928 in the village of Milkovichi, Grodno Region, Belarus. After finishing school, he graduated from the Novogrudok Financial-Economic College and, in 1952, from the Plekhanov Leningrad Mining Institute. His education at the country's oldest technical university, including internships at coal mines in Cheremkhovo, Donbass, and Karaganda, made him a highly skilled specialist in coal extraction and production organization, particularly in underground mining technology. Despite being recommended for postgraduate studies due to his examination results, "competent authorities in Leningrad," citing the years of occupation in Belarus, insisted on his assignment to Donbass.

Grinko called the Donetsk Basin "the perfect school for mining under hellish coal extraction conditions" and recalled how the chief engineer of the "Yuzhkuzbassugol" trust petitioned to write off a coal seam with a thickness of 1.2 meters as nonviable due to its extremely complex geology and unfeasibility for development.

These challenging conditions included mining depths of up to 1,000 meters or more, difficulties in ventilating explosive seams, numerous geological faults, water inflows, fire hazards, and thin coal seams. In such conditions, miners often had to crawl along seams in prone positions on flat inclines or select workers with shoe sizes no larger than 40 for steep inclines.

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© Из фондов Государственного исторического музея Южного Урала

At the same time, this synthesis of challenges stimulated the advancement of scientific and technological progress. It is no coincidence that the first mining combines, scraper conveyors, hydraulic supports, and many other innovations were tested and implemented in Donbass. Working at Donetsk enterprises allowed Nikolai Konstantinovich to fully apply his knowledge, organizational skills, determination, and resilience.

The mines were staffed with workers born in 1927-1928 from Western Ukraine, who had been drafted into the army at the end of the war and reassigned to the labor front. As a result, Grinko, then only 25 years old, managed teams primarily composed of his peers—young professionals who loved their profession and excelled at their work.

Starting in 1952 as an assistant section chief, he quickly advanced—becoming a section chief, chief engineer, mine manager, and then chief engineer of the "Krasnoluchugol" trust in the Luhansk region.

In 1962, a decade later, he was appointed chief engineer of the "Luganskugol" combine, which oversaw more than 20 independent enterprises. He was responsible for choosing the most effective methods of mineral extraction across dozens of mines. At many of these, Nikolai Konstantinovich led major reconstruction projects, including the sinking of vertical shafts, preparation of main horizons, and improvements to ventilation systems. Ultimately, these efforts resulted in increased technical and economic performance. "Luganskugol's" production output grew from 9.6 million tons in 1962 to 11.9 million tons in 1970. It is no wonder that Grinko always referred to this period as the "golden age" of his professional career.

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© Встреча с коллегами и передовиками производства, Донецк (Н. Гринько в центре)/ "Маркшейдерский вестник", 2017 год, №4

Such achievements could not go unnoticed by the country's leadership: in 1969, Grinko was appointed Deputy Minister of Coal Industry of Ukraine, and in 1970, he became the Head of the Technical Department of the Ministry of Coal Industry of the entire USSR. In essence, Nikolai Konstantinovich became the chief engineer of the entire industry.

Under his leadership operated numerous specialized research institutes, design and engineering organizations, and scientific research institutions employing thousands of specialists with advanced degrees. His primary task was to equip all coal mining and processing enterprises with cutting-edge, progressive technologies—mining machines, mechanisms, instruments, and equipment.

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© Шахтер-проходчик/ Гуковский музей шахтерского труда имени Л. И. Микулина

During his business trips to coal-producing countries such as Germany, England, and the United States, Grinko familiarized himself with the latest mining technology and once again concluded that it was impossible to produce high-quality coal and meet astronomically high production targets with minimal expenses.

«Coal machinery manufacturing requires the development of science through the education system and the creation of new organizational forms of research—both fundamental and applied. Moreover, competition in its broadest sense and personal accountability of industry leaders are critical for success», - Grinko wrote in his articles.

In the Soviet Union, failing to meet production targets at a mine typically resulted only in a change of management. The enterprises continued to operate, producing uncompetitive products, and their production did not lead to bankruptcy. This issue resonated much later when Russia's transition to a market economy led to the closure of such enterprises.

By 1972, Nikolai Konstantinovich had risen to the position of First Deputy Minister of Coal Industry of the USSR. In 1978, he returned to Donetsk as the Minister of Coal Industry of Ukraine, overseeing the most critical sector of the republic's heavy industry, which was directly tied to the success of both the steel industry and power generation.

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© Фото из архива журнала "Уголь", 2021 год, март/ Н. Гринько и Б. Братченко на Коллегии Минуглепрома СССР 1975 год

In the early 1980s, Nikolai Grinko coordinated the operations of 248 large, highly mechanized coal mines in the Ukrainian SSR, organized into 24 production associations. His responsibilities also included overseeing the extraction of lignite in the Dnieper Lignite Basin.

Throughout these years, Grinko, whose favorite saying was, "The Earth doesn't turn without bread and coal," remained at the center of strategic decisions in the coal industry. He focused on the concentration of production, the efficiency of capital investments, and the mechanization of mining processes.

In the mid-1980s, Grinko transitioned to scientific and organizational work, becoming the director and chief researcher at the Alexander Skochinsky Institute of Mining in Moscow. Known not only as an industry leader but also as a prominent scholar, Grinko was a Doctor of Technical Sciences, an academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and the Academy of Mining Sciences, a professor, and an Honored Scientist and Engineer. Under his leadership and with his direct involvement, significant work was carried out on the comprehensive evaluation of coal mining science and technology development and on creating an automated deep-mine system.

Grinko expressed skepticism about "economist-managers" and held great respect for mining engineers, frequently emphasizing that his alma mater was the Mining University.

«My experience allows me to outline the optimal 'ladder' for career progression of engineering graduates from mining universities. The first step is being a section, shop, or department head. This is the decisive link in a coal enterprise, where a personality begins to take shape. Those who have not passed this stage will always feel incomplete. When a reserve for appointing mine managers is needed, it is primarily sought among section heads. Every mining engineer should hold this position, but the tenure should not exceed 3–5 years. After retraining, they can become enterprise managers, depending on their abilities and inclinations. While the first manager is a general organizer focusing on external environments, the technical director (chief engineer) is the champion of technology and innovation as the foundation of progress. Top-level management is usually staffed with enterprise managers after they gain sufficient experience and undergo further retraining», - Grinko shared in one of his final articles, presenting his vision for an ideal career path in mining.

His life and career were a testament to his philosophy. Nikolai Grinko passed away on February 5, 2021.