Russian missile strikes shut down Ukraine’s Zaporizhstal steelworks

Zaporizhstal in Zaporizhzhia has halted operations indefinitely after four waves of Russian missile attacks—two in August and two in September.

Oleksandr Myronenko, chief operating officer of owner Metinvest, said 17 missiles struck the plant. Eight workers were killed and 31 injured.

The site, which employed 8,500 people, is now being cleared of rubble while recovery plans are considered. Myronenko said most equipment had been destroyed, with windows gone, roofs pierced and blast furnaces nearly ruined.

A restart ended with another strike

Metinvest tried to resume production by restarting one blast furnace, but it operated for 10 hours before another air strike hit. Company representative Oleksandr Vodoviz said spending on recovery was not yet justified while the situation remained unclear.

Russia’s campaign against Ukrainian metallurgical plants began in August. Myronenko said the mining and metals sector’s contribution to Ukraine’s economy, about 10% of GDP before the full-scale invasion, was now probably close to zero.

Before the invasion, the sector accounted for a third of Ukraine’s exports and employed more than half a million people. By 2025, the number of metallurgical plants had fallen from 12 to six; those lost included Azovstal and the Illich plant in Mariupol.

Attacks halt plants in industrial cities

On 25 September, Ukraine’s largest steelworks, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, said it could not reopen after attacks over five weeks. Five of its workers had died.

Stanislav Zinchenko, head of Kyiv-based consultancy GMK Center, said metal companies had provided between 30% and 70% of local-government spending in host cities. He warned that prolonged closures could lead to large-scale job losses and migration.

Damage to railways and attacks on ports have also disrupted the industry. Myronenko said every export ship faced the risk of attack, while EU steel-import quotas introduced on 1 July could add to pressure on Ukrainian producers.

Steel is needed for military equipment, shelters and rebuilding damaged buildings. Russia has justified the strikes by alleging that plants in Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih produced military hardware; the source provides no independent confirmation of that claim.