August 24th is Ukraine's Independence day but a recent deadly mine explosion casts a shadow over the festivities. The death toll for August 19th's blast in the Zasyadko mine, eastern Ukraine, is now up to fifty. This latest explosion is one of many disasters at Ukraine’s aging, under-financed mines, which are considered to be the most dangerous in Europe. According to the World Socialist Website, five miners die for every million tonnes of coal extracted in Ukraine.