Plants producing 90% of Ukraine’s steel halted after Russian strikes - FT
Ukraine’s three main steel plants, which together accounted for about 90% of the country’s steel production, have halted operations after Russian ballistic missile strikes damaged their facilities, the Financial Times reported, citing Metinvest and ArcelorMittal.
Russian ballistic missiles hit blast furnaces at the three plants in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts in early September, according to the FT.
Metinvest and ArcelorMittal said the affected facilities remain out of operation, while the companies are still assessing the damage and how long repairs could take.
“As of today, [Ukraine] no longer has a steel industry,” Oleksandr Vodoviz, head of the office of Metinvest’s CEO, told the FT.
He said Russian forces “knew everything about the plant” and “knew exactly where to strike,” adding that Metinvest did not yet know whether repairs would take “days, weeks, months or years.”
The shutdowns affect plants employing more than 15,000 people and could have a major impact on tax revenues, Vodoviz said.
Among the affected facilities is Zaporizhstal in Zaporizhzhia, which has been out of operation since Aug. 11. Seven employees were killed and 21 injured in the Russian strike that forced the plant to shut down.
Metinvest said Zaporizhstal had been targeted with 17 ballistic missiles over the past month, including another attack on Sept. 17 that damaged engineering and railway infrastructure.
Kamet Steel, another Metinvest plant in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, also suspended operations after a Russian ballistic missile strike on Sept. 5. Five workers were killed and four injured.