The Ukrainian metallurgical industry has found itself in a deep crisis due to systematic and destructive strikes on the country's key enterprises. Prior to the full-scale invasion, the mining and metallurgical complex played a fundamental role in the economy, accounting for about 10% of Ukraine's GDP and approximately one-third of all state exports. Hundreds of thousands of citizens were employed in this sector, and every thirteenth job in the country was directly or indirectly linked to the stability of metallurgical giants.
Scale of Destruction and Shutdown of Giants
The consequences of recent attacks have proved catastrophic for leading plants. According to Metinvest Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko, the contribution of metallurgy to the country's GDP is currently approaching zero. In particular, a total of 17 missiles were fired at the Zaporizhstal plant, killing eight workers and shutting down the enterprise indefinitely. A similar situation has unfolded at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, which announced on September 25 that it could no longer operate safely following a series of attacks.
Threat to Local Budgets and Humanitarian Crisis
The crisis in metallurgy goes far beyond corporate losses, threatening the physical survival of entire cities. Taxes from metallurgical companies provided from 30% to 70% of local budgets in regions with large plants, funding public sector salaries, infrastructure maintenance, and social programs. As GMK Center Director Stanislav Zinchenko noted, a humanitarian crisis is looming, which could trigger new waves of internal and external migration for hundreds of thousands of workers.
