Russia’s ballistic strike on an industrial site in Zaporizhia in the early hours of August 11 claimed the lives of seven members of the Zaporizhstal team, while another 21 workers were injured, Metinvest Group reported on its website Tuesday.
"The enemy attack damaged energy facilities and infrastructure at Metinvest’s enterprises in Zaporizhia, as well as the main and auxiliary facilities used in coke and blast furnace production. The steel plant has currently been brought to a complete halt, while the other production sites are operating at reduced capacity," the release stated.
According to the company, the ballistic strike caught workers on their way to shelter immediately after the air raid alert was announced. The group is providing all necessary assistance to the injured and remains in contact with the families of those killed.
Specialists are assessing the consequences of the attack, the possibilities and timelines for restoration, and are carrying out urgent repair work.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, flags at Metinvest enterprises were lowered in mourning for the fallen workers.
"Metinvest’s enterprises in Zaporizhia are civilian industrial facilities that employ tens of thousands of people and produce steel and coke products," the press release said.
According to Zaporizhstal’s second-quarter report this year, the enterprise employs 8,750 people.
In the first half of this year, the plant increased revenue by 7.6% to UAH 38.70 billion but posted a net loss of UAH 1.08 billion, compared with a net profit of UAH 1.64 billion in the first half of last year.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its facilities are located in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as in European Union countries, the United Kingdom and the United States. The holding’s main shareholders are the SCM group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%).
