Steel production in Ukraine, hit by a separatist conflict in the East, fell by 29%, to 3.46 million tons in the first two months of 2015 compared with the same period last year.
The fall could have been caused by some major Ukrainian steel mills located in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk suspending production due to fighting there between pro-Russian separatists and government forces.
Pig iron output fell by 31%, to 3.15 million tons, while rolled steel production decreased by 30%, to 3.06 million tons.
In 2014 Ukrainian steel plants reduced annual steel production by 17%, to 27.16 million tons. (https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/05/ukraine-crisis-steel-idUSL5N0W71PN20150305/Ukrainian metal)
