Фото: https://metinvestholding.com/
This morning at dawn, Russian forces once again attacked the joint venture Zaporizhstal metallurgical plant, which had completely halted production after a previous strike on August 11.
As reported by Oleksandr Myronenko, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Metinvest Group, five ballistic missiles struck equipment in the blast furnace shop, energy and transport infrastructure, and open areas of the enterprise, impacting civilian production.
He emphasized that Zaporizhstal is a civilian industrial enterprise renowned globally for its pig iron and for producing rolled products used in manufacturing pipes, household appliances, and automotive components. It does not produce any military goods as it is not a military facility.
“Ordinary people work at the plant: metallurgists, blast furnace operators, repairmen, engineers, who produce steel for civilian life. Until August 11, the plant operated despite numerous attacks – we managed to restore and restart production repeatedly. However, the attack from two weeks ago was unprecedented in its consequences. Firstly, in terms of human casualties. Secondly, in terms of the scale of destruction, as it devastated production as World War II once did. The civilian enterprise had not managed to recover from the August 11 strike – it was repeated again on August 27: the same ballistics, the same sites,” stated the COO of the Metinvest Group, as quoted by the press service.
Myronenko stressed that people are alive – and that is the most important thing: after the air raid alert was announced, the workers on shift managed to reach shelters. However, according to him, “the timelines for production recovery exist only in theory, because as soon as we cleared the debris from the previous strike, another one hit us.”
“Currently, specialists are assessing the scale of destruction and damage, and inspecting the production, energy, and transport infrastructure to determine further steps,” Myronenko stated.
The press release reminds that the previous attack on August 11 claimed the lives of eight Zaporizhstal employees – civilians who were heading to protective structures while performing their duties. Another 26 employees were injured. Russian ballistic missiles struck the plant just two minutes after the air raid alert was announced. At that time, the main equipment of the blast furnace production, energy units, and the enterprise’s infrastructure were damaged. Zaporizhstal experienced destruction of a similar scale only during World War II.
Following urgent emergency repair work, the plant began dismantling damaged structures to gain access to equipment, assess the extent of the damage, and determine recovery possibilities. As production completely stopped, the number of employees at the enterprise was reduced, while retaining the team.
Despite the complete halt in production and limited personnel presence, Russia attacked Zaporizhstal again. This is further evidence that Russian forces are systematically striking civilian industrial infrastructure and the people working there, the Metinvest message concludes.
As previously reported by Taras Shevchenko, acting General Director of Zaporizhstal, the metallurgical plant is currently in extremely difficult conditions due to enemy shelling, which led to a long-term shutdown of the enterprise.
“Recovery will not be simple or quick, but even now we face an even greater challenge: the blockade of the ports of Greater Odesa, which not only affects logistics and exports. The logistical crisis presents us with an undeniable fact: without the ability to produce and sell its products, Ukrainian metallurgy in particular, and domestic exporting producers in general, will not be able to fulfill their role as the country’s economic rear: providing jobs, paying taxes, maintaining foreign currency earnings, and financing the state’s resilience in wartime conditions,” he emphasized.
Zaporizhstal is a joint venture of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are PJSC System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Steel Limited (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.