Ukraine loses its steel industry: strikes destroy 90% of steel production

Ukraine’s steel industry has effectively ceased to exist following a series of ballistic missile strikes on the country’s key metallurgical facilities.

This was reported to the Financial Times by Alexander Vodoviz, chief of staff to the CEO of the Metinvest holding company.

According to Vodoviz, the strikes were targeted precisely at the blast furnaces of three plants — two belonging to Metinvest and the ArcelorMittal plant in Kryvyi Rih.

“They knew everything about the plant, they knew exactly where to strike. Ballistic missiles were aimed at the blast furnaces of three plants, including two belonging to Metinvest and the ArcelorMittal plant in Kryvyi Rih. Right now we don’t understand how long repairs will take — days, weeks, months, or years,” Vodoviz said.

Taken together, the stricken facilities accounted for 90% of Ukraine’s steel output. Following the strikes, all of them were forced to halt operations.

“As of today, Ukraine no longer has a steel industry,” Alexander Vodoviz told the Financial Times.

Earlier, Russian forces struck several Ukrainian metallurgical facilities at once: Kryvorizhstal (ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih), the Northern and Novokryvorizky iron ore mining and processing plants in Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhstal, and the electric arc furnace complex of the Interpipe Steel plant in Dnipro.

Prior to this, Ukraine’s largest steel plant, ArcelorMittal (Kryvorizhstal), had lost 12 locomotives in two months due to Russian attacks.