There are 148 coal mines in Ukraine, 95 of them in areas outside the control of the Ukrainian government. Out of 35 state-owned coal mines in the government-controlled part of the east and west of the country,19 are in the process of being dismantled. Corruption is endemic throughout the industry, while coal mining communities live in poverty, with crumbling infrastructure and no attempts at redevelopment or economic diversification. Andriy Silych, the mayor of the coal mining Donetsk town of Vugledar, said that without coal revenue it was impossible to keep the mines safe. Germany, which has repeatedly advocated the transformation of the Ukrainian coal mining sector, has offered expertise and financial backing to do so.