Zaporizhzhia’s steel industry has come to a halt: Russia has launched a third missile strike on “Zaporizhstal” in a month
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On the night of September 12, Russian troops launched another ballistic missile strike on the Zaporizhstal steel mill. Four employees of the plant were injured when four missiles struck the facility.
This was reported by the press office of the Metinvest Holding and the Zaporizhzhia City Council.
According to the company, there were no fatalities as a result of the attack. One of the injured, after receiving medical care on site, declined hospitalization and remained to help with cleanup efforts, while three other employees with moderate injuries were taken to city hospitals.
The shelling damaged primary and auxiliary equipment in the blast furnace and open-hearth shops, as well as the plant’s power system, networks, and logistics infrastructure. Preliminary assessments indicate that the damage is critical. There is no risk of a man-made accident, as production processes had already been completely halted following previous missile strikes on August 11 and 27, and the number of personnel on site was significantly limited.
Oleksandr Myronenko, Chief Operating Officer of the Metinvest Group, emphasized that the plant did not fulfill military orders:
Zaporizhstal produced cast iron and steel for civilian needs. The plant did not manufacture products for military purposes and did not house anything on its premises that could make it a military target. Following the strikes on August 11 and 27, the plant has still not resumed production. And even that did not stop a new attack. A simple question arises: why strike again with ballistic missiles at a plant that is not operating and poses no military threat? Fortunately, no one was killed this time, but four of our employees were injured. This is now a systematic destruction of Ukraine’s civilian industry, its economic foundation, and the people who ensure its viability. The scale of the destruction is growing with every strike. It is currently impossible to fully assess the damage, but we preliminarily classify the damage as critical
Oleksandr MyronenkoChief Operating Officer of Metinvest
Russian attacks on key metallurgical facilities have already led to a significant downturn in the industry. According to data from the “Ukrmetallurgprom” association of enterprises, systematic shelling of the largest steel mills in August caused a sharp decline in production. As of the end of August 2026, Ukrainian steelmakers reduced steel output by 57.3% year-over-year—to 277,000 metric tons—and compared to July, the figure fell by 39.4%.
What Is Known About Russian Attacks on the Ukrainian Steel Industry
As a reminder, on August 11, seven workers were killed and 21 were injured as a result of a Russian missile attack on the Zaporizhstal steel mill. The strike occurred as mill workers were heading to shelters after an air raid alert was sounded.
On the night of August 16, Russian forces launched a missile attack on the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih mining and metallurgical enterprise. Three people—plant employees—were killed.
On the night of September 5, Russian forces fired five ballistic missiles at the city of Kamianske in the Dnipropetrovsk region; one of the targets was the city’s main employer—the “Kametstal” metallurgical plant. Five people were killed as a result of the strike, and the plant was forced to completely halt production due to the damage sustained.
On the night of September 12, ArcelorMittal in Kryvyi Rih came under attack by Russia again—two employees were killed.
Author
Oksana Korolenko news feed editor
All materialsShe studied at the School of Journalism at Zaporizhzhia National University (ZNU). She has been working in journalism since 2015. She has worked for the publications "Delovaya Odessa," "Slovo i Dilo," and "Vidomo."