Metinvest shuts down Zaporizhstal Operations following Russian strike
2026-08-13 11:00:53 [Print]
Ukrainian mining and steel group Metinvest has announced a complete halt of operations at its Zaporizhstal steel plant in Zaporizhzhia, after a Russian ballistic missile strike targeted the company's industrial site. The attack claimed the lives of seven employees and left 21 others injured.
The shutdown is expected to significantly disrupt Ukraine's exports of basic pig iron (BPI) and flat steel, with BPI supplies to the US market and finished steel shipments to European destinations particularly affected.
The strike also inflicted substantial damage on Metinvest's production facilities in Zaporizhzhia, crippling energy units and infrastructure, as well as both primary and auxiliary systems at the company's coke and blast furnace operations. Consequently, Zaporizhstal's activities have been entirely suspended, while Metinvest's other production sites in the region are currently running at reduced capacity.
According to official Metinvest data, Zaporizhstal has an annual BPI production capacity of up to 4 million metric tons, with most of its BPI exports traditionally destined for the US market. The plant is also a major producer of flat steel, capable of turning out up to 3.6 million metric tons of hot-rolled products and 1.2 million metric tons of cold-rolled products annually. Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, European countries have become the primary export destinations for the plant's flat steel output, following the realignment of Ukrainian trade routes.
The shutdown is expected to significantly disrupt Ukraine's exports of basic pig iron (BPI) and flat steel, with BPI supplies to the US market and finished steel shipments to European destinations particularly affected.
The strike also inflicted substantial damage on Metinvest's production facilities in Zaporizhzhia, crippling energy units and infrastructure, as well as both primary and auxiliary systems at the company's coke and blast furnace operations. Consequently, Zaporizhstal's activities have been entirely suspended, while Metinvest's other production sites in the region are currently running at reduced capacity.
According to official Metinvest data, Zaporizhstal has an annual BPI production capacity of up to 4 million metric tons, with most of its BPI exports traditionally destined for the US market. The plant is also a major producer of flat steel, capable of turning out up to 3.6 million metric tons of hot-rolled products and 1.2 million metric tons of cold-rolled products annually. Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, European countries have become the primary export destinations for the plant's flat steel output, following the realignment of Ukrainian trade routes.
