On the night of September 12, Russia attacked Zaporizhstal with ballistic missiles for the third time in the past month. Four missiles struck the plant’s production site; the facility had not yet resumed operations following previous strikes on August 11 and 27. Four employees were injured. Russia is deliberately destroying a civilian enterprise – which was already idle – thereby wrecking industry, jobs, and the country’s economic foundation.
“Zaporizhstal produced pig iron and steel for civilian needs. The plant did not manufacture products for military purposes, nor did it house anything on its premises that could make it a military target. The facility had not yet resumed production following the strikes on August 11 and 27. Yet, even this did not prevent a new attack. A simple question arises: why strike a non-operational plant that poses no military threat with ballistic missiles again? Fortunately, there were no fatalities this time, but four of our employees were injured. This amounts to the systematic destruction of Ukraine’s civilian industry, its economic foundation, and the people who ensure its viability. The scale of destruction grows with each strike. While a final assessment is currently impossible, we preliminarily classify the damage as critical,” stated Oleksandr Myronenko, Chief Operating Officer of Metinvest Group.
As a result of another Russian attack on Zaporizhstal, primary and auxiliary equipment in the blast furnace and open-hearth furnace shops, the plant’s energy system and utility networks, and its logistics infrastructure were damaged. Since production processes at the plant had been suspended following previous attacks, there is no risk of an industrial accident. The number of personnel present at the facility was significantly limited.
There were no fatalities resulting from the attack. Four plant employees sustained injuries of varying severity. After receiving first aid and a medical examination on-site, one employee declined hospitalization and remained to help address the aftermath of the enemy strike. Three other employees were hospitalized in city hospitals with moderate injuries after receiving pre-medical care.
The company maintains contact with medical facilities and the families of the injured employees, monitors their condition, and provides necessary support.
Work is currently underway to address the aftermath of the enemy strike and assess the damaged facilities. This is necessary to determine the nature and extent of the destruction inflicted upon this civilian industrial enterprise.
Over the past month, Russia has repeatedly carried out terrorist attacks on Metinvest’s civilian metallurgical plants – Zaporizhstal and Kametstal. Repeated strikes, production stoppages, and fresh destruction amount to the systematic dismantling of Ukrainian industry. Russia is striking not only at equipment and workshops but also at people, cities, jobs, and the country’s ability to operate, produce, and maintain economic resilience. (Zaporizhstal)