ArcelorMittal halts Kryvyi Rih plant until end of war after four missile strikes

ArcelorMittal has decided not to resume operations at its Ukrainian facility, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, until the war is over, citing safety concerns.

The decision was made on September 25 following a series of four missile strikes on the plant over the past five weeks.

The last of the four strikes occurred on September 21. In total, five people were killed in the attacks, and 17 more workers were injured, one of whom is in critical condition. The strikes caused significant damage to the plant’s production facilities.

“We have reached the deeply regrettable conclusion that we can no longer safely operate ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih,” said the plant’s CEO Mauro Longobardo.

The company also expects to recognize a non-cash asset impairment of approximately €877.3 million at the USD/EUR exchange rate, primarily due to the impairment of the plant’s fixed assets. ArcelorMittal plans to preserve the plant’s infrastructure so that production can be resumed once the war ends.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is Ukraine’s largest producer of rolled steel, specializing in long products, particularly rebar and wire rod. The facility operates a full production cycle, with a design capacity exceeding 6 million tonnes of steel, more than 5 million tonnes of rolled products, and 5.5 million tonnes of pig iron per year. In 2025, the plant accounted for 23% of Ukraine’s steel output and 24% of its rolled product output. In the first half of 2025, the facility’s net loss increased by 11.9% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 4.22 billion hryvnias.

Metallurgy losing capacity under missile strikes

Three of Ukraine’s main metallurgical plants, which accounted for around 90% of steel production, have already halted operations following Russian missile strikes. In August, Russia intensified attacks on Ukrainian mining and metallurgical facilities, causing Zaporizhstal to completely shut down production, while ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih had at that point reduced only part of its output. The Kryvyi Rih plant has now joined Zaporizhstal in a complete production stoppage.

The parent company has provided financial support to the Ukrainian facility since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to CEO Mauro Longobardo, ArcelorMittal alone invested approximately €877.3 million in the plant, and the facility received a total of more than approximately €614.1 million in operational support.

Media had previously reported that a missile strike on the plant in the early hours of September 12 killed two employees of a contractor organization and injured two more workers, while production and auxiliary facilities at the plant were damaged. Reports also indicated that in the early hours of August 16, a missile damaged the plant’s blast furnace and energy production units, killed two people, and injured 13 employees and contractor workers.