The plant, which had halted operations following a ballistic missile attack on 11 August, has been hit again. Russia struck Zaporizhstal with two ballistic missiles on the morning of 17 September. The missiles hit industrial sites of the plant's shops, causing significant damage to engineering networks and railway infrastructure. No one was killed in the attack, while one employee was hospitalised.
“Since August, the aggressor state has fired a total of 17 ballistic missiles at Zaporizhstal. This is already the fourth attack in a little over a month – a systematic campaign of terror against Ukrainian industry and people. Russia continues to wage war against civilians and deliberately destroy production facilities that sustain Ukraine's economy, provide jobs for thousands of Zaporizhzhia residents, and produce Ukrainian steel. The repeated strikes on the idled plant are an attempt to prevent it from recovering and resuming operations,” said Metinvest Group's Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko.
In accordance with the plant's wartime emergency response procedures, all employees were alerted in advance to the missile threat and instructed to go to shelters, where they stayed until the all-clear was announced. One employee was unable to reach a shelter before the strike occurred. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the plant's employees and emergency responders, the employee was extricated, provided with first aid and hospitalised with shrapnel injuries and a concussion. The company is monitoring the injured employee's condition and will provide him with the necessary support until he fully recovers. There were no fatalities at the plant as a result of the attack.
The attack caused significant damage to main and auxiliary process equipment, shop buildings, and railway infrastructure. Debris clearance and recovery work is ongoing at the plant to inspect the site and evaluate the inflicted damage.
Zaporizhstal has been the target of systematic attacks by the aggressor. On 11 August, a Russian attack damaged the plant's main process and auxiliary equipment, infrastructure and power system, killing eight employees and injuring 28 others. Production chains were disrupted, bringing the plant to a complete halt. A further attack on 27 August struck the same production facilities. No one was killed or injured. The attack on 12 September damaged the blast furnace and steelmaking operations, power facilities and networks, as well as logistics infrastructure. Four employees of the plant were injured.
Zaporizhstal remains an important industrial enterprise for both Zaporizhzhia and Ukraine. Metinvest's task today is to preserve the plant, its team, its production potential, and its ability to recover. Each new Russian strike makes this more difficult, but does not change this goal.