Russia is attempting to disrupt the recovery of the Zaporizhstal metallurgical plant, which was shut down following enemy missile strikes on August 11: the plant has endured its fourth ballistic attack in a month, Metinvest Group reported on Thursday.
"On September 17 at dawn, Russia carried out two ballistic missile strikes on Zaporizhstal. The impact sites were located on the industrial grounds of the workshops… As a result of the shelling, core technological and auxiliary equipment, workshop buildings, and railway infrastructure were significantly damaged… There were no fatalities, one worker was hospitalized," the release on the group's website stated.
Metinvest's Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko said that the aggressor state has launched a total of 17 ballistic missiles at Zaporizhstal since August.
"This is already the fourth attack in just over a month – systematic terror against Ukrainian industry and people… Repeated strikes on a halted enterprise are an attempt to prevent it from recovering and resuming operations," he said.
According to the statement, after the missile alert was announced, all employees were promptly warned and ordered to move into protective shelters, where they remained until the all-clear. At the moment of the strike, one worker did not manage to reach shelter in time. Thanks to coordinated actions by plant staff and emergency services, the individual was freed, given first aid, and hospitalized in the city with shrapnel wounds and a concussion. The enterprise is monitoring the worker's condition and will provide necessary support until full recovery.
Work continues at the plant to clear debris and eliminate the consequences of the Russian attack in order to conduct inspections and further assess the damage, the statement said.
Metinvest recalled that the August 11 Russian strike damaged core technological and auxiliary equipment, infrastructure, and the energy system, killing eight employees and injuring 28. Production chains at the enterprise were severed, and the plant was completely shut down.
Subsequently, on August 27, enemy fire again hit the same production facilities, with no casualties reported, while the September 12 strike targeted blast furnace and steelmaking operations, energy facilities and networks, and logistics, injuring four employees.
"Zaporizhstal remains an important industrial enterprise for Zaporizhia and Ukraine. Metinvest's task today is to preserve the plant, its team, production potential, and ability to recover. Each new Russian strike complicates this task, but does not change this goal," the press release said.
Zaporizhstal is one of Ukraine's largest industrial enterprises, with products in high demand among consumers both on the domestic market and in many countries around the world.
Zaporizhstal is a joint venture of Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are PJSC System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Steel Limited (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the group's management company.
