---
title: "\"Disaster has struck us\": Al Jazeera shows destroyed Kametstal as Ukraine's steel production falls to near-zero"
description: "An Al Jazeera report from the destroyed Kametstal plant in Kamianske showed that following a series of strikes, Ukraine's steel production has fallen to near-zero, and the country's GDP has dropped by 2.4%."
date: 2026-10-27T13:05:02.019Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-steel-production-near-zero-kametstal
tags: [ukraine, metallurgy, steel-production, kametstal, metinvest, war-economy]
author: "Darya Fomina"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "Disaster has struck us": Al Jazeera shows destroyed Kametstal as Ukraine's steel production falls to near-zero

![Destroyed workshop of the Kametstal plant in Kamianske after a missile strike](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/27/ukraine-steel-production-near-zero-kametstal/ukraine-steel-production-near-zero-kametstal-1.webp)

## Key Points

- According to Al Jazeera, Ukraine's steel production has fallen to near-zero after a series of attacks; all three major Metinvest enterprises have been halted.
- Kametstal in Kamianske was halted in September following a ballistic missile strike: a blast furnace was destroyed and five workers were killed.
- The shutdown of metallurgy has already impacted the economy: GDP fell by 2.4%, while jobs, foreign currency, and tax revenues are under threat.

Steel production in Ukraine has dropped to near-zero following a series of strikes on metallurgical enterprises, according to an Al Jazeera report published by RBC-Ukraine. TV channel journalists visited the Kametstal plant in Kamianske, which ranks among the top three metallurgical plants in Ukrainian-controlled territory. According to the publication, all three major Metinvest group enterprises have been halted in recent weeks as a result of the strikes. The situation, an Al Jazeera interviewee noted, is critical for the country's entire economy, since iron and steel accounted for over 30% of Ukrainian exports before the full-scale war.

### Strike on Kametstal: destroyed blast furnace and killed workers

The Kametstal plant suspended operations in September following a ballistic missile strike. As a result of the attack, five plant workers were reportedly killed, and one of the blast furnaces was destroyed. "Disaster has struck us. A ballistic missile hit right here, directly into the blast furnace," the plant's general director told journalists. According to the publication, the attack caused millions of dollars in damage to the enterprise, and restoration could take months or even years.

### Scale of shutdown: three major Metinvest plants idle

According to Al Jazeera, all three major Metinvest enterprises in Ukrainian-controlled territory have been halted in recent weeks. Following weeks of massive attacks, steel production in the country has dropped to near-zero, according to the publication's source. Thus, the shutdown affected not just a single facility, but key industry capacities, making the situation systemic for the industrial sector, the TV channel assesses.

### People at the production site: shelters and fear for the future

Female plant workers told journalists that they sometimes descend to shelters two or three times a day. According to them, people are simultaneously worried about their own lives, their jobs, and the future of the enterprise. The report notes that even under conditions of partial production suspension, staff continue to stay at the facility, underlining both the social and production significance of the plant for the region.

### Economic consequences: GDP decline and threat to foreign currency revenue

As the publication notes, Ukraine's economy has already reacted to the shutdown of metallurgical plants: this caused a 2.4% drop in GDP. The metallurgy crisis threatens not only a reduction in steel production, but also the loss of jobs, foreign exchange earnings, the tax base, and the industrial platform upon which Al Jazeera estimates the country's future recovery depends. Thus, strikes on metallurgical assets affect not only the industry, but macroeconomic indicators as a whole.

### Prospects for recovery

According to RBC-Ukraine citing Al Jazeera, damage from the September strike on Kametstal is estimated in the millions of dollars, and the timeframe for restoring the destroyed blast furnace and resuming the full production cycle could take months or even years. Against this backdrop, the publication reports that the industry requires massive investment and security guarantees to return to pre-war volumes, when metallurgy accounted for more than a third of Ukrainian exports.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Российские атаки парализовали металлургию: Al Jazeera показала разрушенную "Каметсталь"](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rosiyski-ataki-paralizuvali-metalurgiyu-al-1793105867.html) - Primary source: Al Jazeera report from Kametstal in Kamianske. Confirmed: plant shutdown in September, ballistic missile strike on the blast furnace, deaths of five workers, quote from the general director, shelter descents 2–3 times a day, damage estimated in millions of dollars. Caveat: theses about 'near-zero' production, shutdown of all three Metinvest plants, export share >30% and 2.4% GDP drop are presented as estimates by the publication/its interviewee.

## FAQ

### What happened at the Kametstal plant in Kamianske?

According to the Al Jazeera report, the plant suspended operations in September after a ballistic missile strike: one of the blast furnaces was destroyed and five workers were killed. The general director confirmed that the missile hit the blast furnace directly.

### How much has steel production in Ukraine declined?

According to an Al Jazeera source, after weeks of massive attacks, steel production in the country has dropped to near-zero; all three major Metinvest enterprises in Ukrainian-controlled territory have been halted.

### How does the shutdown of metallurgy affect Ukraine's economy?

The publication notes a 2.4% drop in GDP following the shutdown of the plants. Jobs, foreign exchange and tax revenues, as well as the industrial base on which the country's recovery depends, are under threat; before the war, metallurgy provided over 30% of exports.