Zaporizhstal, the Zaporizhia steel mill, is currently operating under extremely difficult conditions because of enemy shelling that has resulted in a prolonged shutdown of the enterprise, acting General Director Taras Shevchenko said.
"Recovery will not be simple or quick, but even now we see an even more serious challenge ahead: the blockade of the ports of Greater Odesa, which is not merely dealing a blow to logistics and exports. The logistics crisis confronts us with an undeniable fact: without the ability to produce and sell their products, Ukrainian metallurgy in particular, and domestic exporters in general, will not be able to fulfill their role as the country's economic rear, providing jobs, paying taxes, supporting foreign-currency revenues and financing the state's resilience during the war," Shevchenko said.
According to a press release published Friday, Metinvest Group's enterprises in Zaporizhia (Zaporizhstal, Zaporizhkoks, Zaporizhvohnetryv and Metinvest Machinery) paid nearly UAH 1.6 billion in taxes and fees to budgets at all levels in the first half of 2026. The largest payments traditionally consisted of the unified social contribution, personal income tax, environmental tax and military levy. Thus, a significant portion of the taxes paid by the enterprises is directly related to people's employment and the preservation of jobs in the region.
The company's Zaporizhia enterprises transferred more than UAH 470 million to local budgets in January-June this year. For Zaporizhia, this represents a contribution to the resilience of the city and region, an opportunity to finance the operation of critical sectors and support the viability of a frontline territorial community located 20 kilometers from the line of combat.
As reported, in January-June 2025, the Zaporizhia enterprises of the mining and metals group paid a total of nearly UAH 1.7 billion in taxes and fees to budgets at all levels; for all of 2025, they paid about UAH 4 billion in taxes and fees.
Zaporizhstal is a joint venture of Metinvest Group, whose principal shareholders are PrJSC System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Steel Limited (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
