Ukrainian mining and steel group Metinvest has announced that operations at its Zaporizhstal steel plant in Zaporizhzhia have been completely halted following a Russian ballistic strike on the company's industrial site, which killed seven employees and injured 21 others.
The shutdown is expected to have a significant impact on Ukraine's basic pig iron (BPI) and flat steel export shipments, particularly BPI supplies to the US and finished steel shipments to European markets.
According to Metinvest's official statement, the strike hit workers while they were heading to shelters immediately after an air raid alert. All seven people killed in the attack were members of the Zaporizhstal team, while the injured employees are receiving the necessary assistance.
Coke and blast furnace operations suffer significant damage
The attack also caused significant damage to Metinvest's production facilities in Zaporizhzhia, affecting energy units and infrastructure as well as the main and auxiliary facilities of the company's coke and blast furnace operations. As a result, Zaporizhstal's operations have been completely suspended, while Metinvest's other production sites in Zaporizhzhia are operating at reduced capacity.
The company's specialists are assessing the extent of the damage and evaluating the possibilities and timeframe for restoring operations. Emergency repair work is currently underway.
According to official information from Metinvest, Zaporizhstal has the capacity to produce up to 4 million mt of BPI annually. In terms of exports, the plant's BPI shipments have been primarily directed to the US market. Zaporizhstal is also a significant producer of flat steel products, with annual capacity of up to 3.6 million mt of hot rolled products and 1.2 million mt of cold rolled products. European countries have become key export destinations for the plant's flat steel production following the rerouting of Ukrainian trade flows after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
