Polymer and ceramic manufacturer Cersanit has decided to completely cease production at its plant in Zviahel, Zhytomyr Oblast. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing the company's press service, the reason was repeated Russian drone strikes: since September 2026, the facility has twice been the target of attacks. The company emphasizes that amid ongoing Russian strikes, they cannot guarantee the safety of personnel, and the damage sustained cannot currently be repaired.
Chronology of Strikes on the Enterprise
The first strike on the Cersanit plant in Zviahel was recorded on September 13, 2026. According to the company, the enemy used jet-powered drones for the attack. As a result, key elements of the production cycle required for manufacturing ceramic tiles were damaged. At that time, Cersanit estimated that it would take at least six months to restore production capacities. Since then, according to the press service, the facility has suffered a repeated strike—the second since the beginning of September.
Reasons for Complete Cessation of Operations
Cersanit points to two interrelated grounds for shutting down the plant. The first is the inability to ensure safe working conditions. "Intensive attacks, frequent air raid alerts and associated evacuations (even several times a day), temporary power outages, and voltage drops make stable and safe operation impossible," the company's press service stated. Against this background, the board decided to completely terminate production in Zviahel.
The second ground is significant physical damage resulting from Russian strikes. The company notes that the scale of destruction is such that it is currently impossible to restore it. Thus, even in the absence of new attacks, the plant is incapable of resuming operations in its previous mode without prolonged and major reconstruction.
Significance of the Plant for the Region
Separately, Cersanit emphasized the social scale of the decision: the enterprise is one of the largest employers in Zhytomyr Oblast. About 1,000 people work at the plant in Zviahel across production, sales, marketing, and customer service teams. Therefore, the complete cessation of production affects not only industrial capacities but also the employment of a significant portion of the region's population.
Context
Cersanit's decision highlights a steady trend whereby repeated strikes on industrial facilities in Ukraine lead not to temporary suspension, but to the complete and generally prolonged cessation of enterprises' operations. In the case of the Zviahel plant, the combination of the inability to guarantee employee safety and currently irreparable damage made the continuation of production impractical, and recovery a matter requiring time and resources that the company cannot provide amid ongoing attacks.
